Elementals
by Kiba Sniper
Summary: Thunder and Lightning have found peace within Titans South now that a year has passed since the Hive's attack. However, the H'san Natall are sending their finest warriors to get the hybrids back, and they will stop at nothing until victory is achieved.
1. Invaders

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

"This is complete and utter bliss!" 

The shrill cry of Kid Flash was enough to make Argent burst into laughter. "Sheesh, get the guy a swimming pool, and he goes nuts."

Thunder, Lightning and Jinx stood next to her as Kid Flash stripped himself of his uniform, diving headfirst into the T-shaped pool on top of the Titans South's headquarters. The elemental brothers nodded in approval at the shimmering water that reflected back at them. Jinx sat at the edge, rolling her eyes and smirked as Kid Flash tried to impress her with his backstroke skills.

"Argent, how were you able to afford this?" Thunder questioned as Kid Flash splashed at Jinx. He smirked as Jinx set a hex at the water, sending a massive wave that slammed Kid Flash into the edge of the pool.

"Well, blue boy, Mum said that she wanted us to be entertained and not be so bored around here," Argent explained. "So, Mum said she wanted a pool. Besides, it's summer, which means bathing suits."

Thunder instantly became flustered when she winked, and Lightning rolled his eyes. It had been one full year since the death of their father and saving the entire human race from utter extinction. They had been reunited with their mother, coming to terms with their past and accepted it. Since joining Titans South in Iron City, New Zealand, their friendships grew among the members: Jinx, Kid Flash and Argent, who became the leader, even though Jinx fervently proclaimed she could be a better one in the beginning. They had gone on several missions together, bonding as a team, even though occasional spats erupted between them. Thunder became the peacemaker of the group, breaking up the arguments and quelling any sort of hate among the members. Lightning still resented being ordered around, frequently bickering with Argent over his brother whenever she flirted with him jokingly. He also visited his close friend, Kole, a few times a month, ensuring that she was safe were she lived. Kid Flash teased him, stating he had a crush on her that ended with a brawl instantly brewing. Jinx usually remained in her room, coming out only to eat, go on missions or hang out whenever she felt like it, which was rare in its own way.

"Come on, Lightning," Kid Flash urged, popping up from the water. Resting his arms against the cool tiles of the pool, he spewed water at the electrical master.

Lightning shook his head in annoyance. "In the water? I am a being of the skies, not of the aqueous realm. Besides, I am Lightning." He created a small spark in his hands before throwing it at Kid Flash. As the speedster dashed into the water, he smirked.

"Come, brother, it is fun to swim!" Thunder placed his arm around Lightning's shoulder.

"You find it amusing, brother," Lightning countered with a shrug. "I do not. I am going to take a nap. Oh, where is Mother?"

"Argent's mom dragged your's to some spa," Jinx reported, making the brothers look over to her. "She didn't want to go, but you know Alfonsa."

"Hey, my mum's only a little eccentric," Argent defended. She suddenly snatched Thunder's arm, sneering up at him. "C'mon, blue boy, let's see if you can swim."

As Thunder protested, Lightning watched as Argent dragged him back downstairs, stating she would find him some swim trunks. Kid Flash was still attempting to show off, now doing a butterfly stroke in the water to impress Jinx. Lightning laughed as Jinx covered her face in embarrassment when he began to flex his muscles.

"You certainly have a charmer for a male companion, Jinx," Lightning sneered.

She gasped, glaring at Lightning as he cheekily grinned. "Oh, go back to Kole, you idiot!"

"The crystal witch is like a sister to me, not anything of the sort of a mate," Lightning explained, walking down towards the hatch that Argent forced Thunder down into. "Have fun with your mate!"

Jinx shot a hex at his head, but Lightning nimbly leaped downwards into the hatch's opening. He landed on the railing, using his sandals as support as he slid down like a skater. Crouching, Lightning leaned forward to increase speed. The railing spiraled sideways, and he hopped off, landing on the bottom step.

He looked around their common room, finding it to be remodeled much like the original Titans'. Cyborg wanted Titans South to be similar to his creation of the tower in Jump City. Like all the other towers, Argent's summer home was remodeled into a giant T and was fixed with the modifications of adding a high-tech security system with lasers and smokescreen. As for the exterior color, nobody could decide what color to make it, so Cyborg settled for gray.

Lightning flipped over the couch, landing onto the soft cushions. Settling himself in, he placed his arms behind his head and thought, _Brother, what are you and the silver wretch doing?_

_She is throwing swimming shorts over her shoulder for me. I am standing outside her door, _Thunder thought back, using their psychic link that had been locked for sixteen years until their father unlocked it.

_Ha! I bet she is going to take embarrassing pictures of you and post them over the computer, _Lightning taunted, smiling contently.

_Oh? Well, there are several pictures of you and Kole online, _Thunder retorted, smirking as he leaned outside Argent's door.

_Because you fools were being roguish and 'posting them', I believe it is called! _Lightning grumbled as Thunder laughed in his head, and he turned to his side. _It is not funny, brother!_

_Peace, Lightning! I am sorry, but you and Kole-_

_For the last time, Thunder, we are not as…intimate as you and the silver wretch. _It was Lightning's turn to laugh as Thunder reddened and began to shout that he only viewed Argent as a friend. _Do not worry, brother, I will protect you from her and her "gothic" ways. Believe me, she is poisoning your mind far worse than the green one ever did. Well, I am off the sleep. See you whenever I awaken._

Thunder rolled his eyes, wishing his brother a good rest as Argent leaned out with a pair of dark blue trunks. "…Why do you have male trunks?"

"My mum bought 'em for you. Said that you couldn't swim in that armor," Argent explained, taking his arm. "C'mon, try them on."

"Wait, in front of you?" Thunder's face bloomed like a hundred roses, and Argent laughed.

"No, silly, I meant in the bathroom." She patted his shoulder as he sheepishly slumped down the halls, muttering to himself that she was a flirtatious harlot. "I can hear you."

"Blast…"

…

Gnarrk wanted to punch something really badly. He continued to glare at Kole as she took his four card. They were playing Go Fish, and Kole was dominating him. Noticing his grimace, Kole laughed lightly. The fifteen-year-old girl patted his shoulder as Gnarrk stared down at the one card in his hand.

"…Yer a cheater," Gnarrk growled after a moment.

"I swear, Gnarrk, the only time you use English is to say somebody's cheating," Kole snickered. She had taught Gnarrk proper English, but it took a long time. He wanted to learn to that the other Titans could understand him and not have Kole translate every twenty seconds.

"Aw, come on!" Gnarrk whined, voice slurred with a gruff accent. "That ain't fair. You know every card I have."

"…Got a five?" she asked cheekily.

Gnarrk reluctantly handed over the last card he had. "Cheater."

"I am not."

"Sure, ya ain't."

Kole laughed, placing her cards back down into her victory pile. Gnarrk frowned, crossing his arms in front of his chest and turned away stubbornly. The rose-haired Titan chuckled again, standing up and put the cards away in a cupboard. Gnarrk suddenly shot to his feet, surprising her.

"What's wrong?" she questioned in surprise.

He started towards the door, replying, "Listen."

Kole remained silent, straining her ears to locate every single sound. A dying, weak cry filtered the air like a hushed whisper. She gasped, and they both darted outside. In front of their home was a dead pterodactyl. It looked staked, but the hole ruptured through her stomach and out her back. Kole covered her mouth, eyes widening fearfully. Gnarrk took a few tentative steps forward before a low-pitched snicker caught his attention.

"Who's there?" Gnarrk demanded, and Kole turned herself into crystal with her arms high above her head. Snatching her, he kept her close and shouted, "Show yerself!"

"You know the hybrids, don't you?" The voice was sharp silk, making him cringe. Gnarrk looked up at the roof on their home, finding the source of the voice.

"Who're you?" he growled.

Gnarrk never got an answer when a light green beam shot at him.

…

The alarm sounded in Titans South. Red streams of light erupted around Lightning in common room as he shot off the couch. Blaring noise like a fire truck's echoed around the entire tower. The other members of Titans South scrambled down to the common room, and Argent tapped a few buttons on a computer by the kitchen. The window that led to the outside world expanded into a full-blown monitor.

Static reigned supreme on the monitor as the others impatiently waited for someone to come on. The static crackled and swerved around on the screen before finally breaking up. The image was a forest on fire, and Thunder and Lightning were instantly tempted to fly up to the skies to extinguish it when a face burst into the screen.

"Hey! Am I gettin' to anybody? Hey! C'mon!" Gnarrk's frantically cried.

"Gnarrk, you've reached Titans South," Jinx interposed, breaking off his shrieks. "What's wrong?"

"Takes ya long enough! Listen, Kole and I, we're under attack by some crazed freak!" Gnarrk shouted. A high-pitched wail resounded behind him, and Kole was thrown back into their home. "Aw, Kole!"

"I'm fine!" Kole shouted over.

"Kole!" Lightning cried.

"Lightning?" she asked, but stopped when a beam of green energy shot towards her. Crystallizing herself, she absorbed the energy and shot it right back. "Quickly! Get your butts over here as soon as you guys can! I don't know if we can-"

The connection suddenly jammed, resulting in static. Argent quickly tried to gain their communications back, but the screen faded to black before shutting down. Hitting the buttons furiously, she turned to her team.

"Titans, go," she ordered simply.

Thunder and Lightning shot to the skies while Kid Flash took Jinx and Argent and dashed towards the North Pole where the underground Titans resided. Thunder shot a concerned look to his brother, gripping his arm when he noticed the malice in his eyes.

"Brother, what troubles you?" Thunder asked in concern.

"Are you blind?" Lightning spat back heatedly. "Our friends could very well die if we do not intervene!"

"Going in with rage is not the right way," Thunder murmured, stopping his brother in flight. "In the very least, you could to do more damage than good."

Lightning hesitated, leaning into Thunder and sighed. "I am only worried my friend, Kole. She has been a real delight to me, like a sister."

Thunder smiled, hugging Lightning gently. "Then protect her, not feel malice towards the enemy. That will empower you."

"Oh, like you do not?" Lightning sneered back. "Though, we should not waste anymore time with speaking, brother! Come!"

Thunder nodded, and they grasped each other's hands. In flashes of blue and yellow, they were off at hypersonic speeds towards the North Pole.

…

"What took you?" Kid Flash asked, peering down into the world that Kole and Gnarrk called home.

"Oh, silence yourself," Lightning snarled.

"Here's the plan," Argent announced, breaking them up. "Thunder, Lightning, you guys look for Kole and Gnarrk. Jinx and I will look for this creep. Kid Flash, stay up here and be lookout."

"What?" Kid Flash indignantly cried. "Stand around and do nothing? Aw, come on!"

Lightning barked with short laughter as he and Thunder leaped down. The lush trees embarked around them as they flew through the air, searching for any sign of Kole and Gnarrk. Lightning took the lead, transmuting his lower half to electricity while Thunder and his faithful cloud hovered a few feet behind.

Thunder suddenly choked, breathing in a musty scent and coughed. Lightning stopped, looking above Thunder to find gray smoke rush above the trees. Both gasped, hopping to their feet and pushed through the trees like their childhood when they found their house on fire by Minh and his cronies.

Kole's home was in shards like a broken mirror. Small fires caught on the scattered wood. Their appliances were everywhere, but were not as far off as the quant home. Gnarrk was perched underneath a thick stack of wood, groaning. Thunder shoved the rough bark off him, kneeling down as Gnarrk struggled to breath.

"Stay with us, my friend," Thunder entreated as Lightning ran around the home.

"Wh-what? Ow!" Gnarrk yelped.

"Remain silent," Thunder ordered. "We will help. Brother, have you found Kole?"

_Not yet,_ Lightning replied, kicking a few pieces of wood away.

Lightning noticed a white sleeve, gasping and knelt by it. He swatted off the bark that remained on the body, reeling backwards when he realized it was Kole. She looked like death, having cuts around her body and bruises as well. Kole was horrendously silent, scaring him in becoming still. Shakily, he took her head and gave her a quick shock that made her gasp.

"Zap," she whined, glaring at him while he chortled, "what the heck is wrong with you?"

"I am sorry, crystal witch, but you appeared like death," Lightning explained as she weakly punched his chest.

"So…you shock me?"

"Indeed."

She punched him again, inflicting little damage because of her injured status. Lightning picked him up, and she went limp again. Whispering for her to breathe easily, he strolled back over to his brother and Gnarrk. Thunder threw Gnarrk's shoulder onto his, making the educated caveman stumble to his feet. Upon seeing the weak form of his friend, Gnarrk's mouth dropped, losing the will to speak.

"She is fine, weak, but fine," Lightning informed, draping Kole's arm across his shoulder.

"So, you two are the last of the H'san Natall hybrids."

Thunder and Lightning turned to see a woman cloaked in a long jacket that supported her lithe, but bountiful frame. Her eyes were bright yellow, but they could not see her face from the hood that blocked it. Thunder and Lightning could detect an incredible energy welling up inside her, and Lightning stepped forward, demanding to know who she was.

"Antonia never told you about me? That is strange. I thought we were friends." The teenaged girl sighed. "Oh, well."

"How do you know Argent?" Thunder snapped.

"Are you her latest 'boy toy' as she would call you? She was quite a…tramp back then."

"Do not insult her!"

The girl looked down at Thunder, smirking. "How is Antonia? I wish to speak to her."

"Why have you attacked our friends?" Lightning barked furiously. "It is unhonorable to attack an unready opponent!"

"Thunder and Lightning, Gan and Tavis Williams," she drawled, smirking as they flinched upon the usage of their real names. "Has Antonia even told you about what we did on my father's world?"

"Who are ya?" Gnarrk demanded vehemently.

"My name on the computer world was Audrey Spears, but you can call me Prysm," she sneered, removing her hood. Under it was a beautiful, shimmering purple face like that of glass. She removed her cloak, revealing that her entire body was like glass. She hovered in the air, smiling.

"Watch it, youse guys. She can reflect attacks like Kole," Gnarrk warned.

"Hold it!"

Prysm looked around, finding pink hexes dash towards her. Flying into the air, she gasped when the hexes slammed against the tree, and it fell at her. Dashing out of the way, she gasped when a massive crimson hand pinned her against the ground. Argent flew towards her with Jinx trailing behind her. Argent smirked before gasping, realizing who she caught.

"Prysm! But how? Why?" she cried in shock.

"Father wants you all back home," Prysm spat. "He wants you, Cody, Isaiah and the brothers to return home."

"I am not going back there," Argent growled. "Never!"

"Please, you must listen to reason-"

"What is she talking about, Argent? Is she talking about that alien world?" Jinx impatiently interjected. Whipping out her communicator, she stated, "Kid Flash, we need you down here."

No reply was made. Jinx became increasingly worried as Thunder attempted to reach the speedster by his. The same effect was produced, and Jinx furiously glared at Prysm, demanding to know what happened.

"Father wants the H'san Natall hybrids back home. He will stop at nothing to get them," Prysm informed.

"Where's Kid Flash?" Argent asked, releasing Prysm.

"He either lives or dies, depending on his speed," Prysm replied.

"Listen, you glass demon!" Lightning snarled. "Do not play foolish word games with us! Answer us honestly and straightly!"

She ignored him, enraging Lightning, and he sent a wave of his namesake at her. Prysm countered with a blast of her own, locking them in a stalemate until Thunder intervened, blasting her against the trees. Lightning smiled, thanking his brother gratefully. Argent stepped in front of them, placing a hand on Thunder's.

"Don't attack her. I don't know why she's doing this, but she's my friend," Argent explained.

"Well, that doesn't tell us why she is even here!" Jinx shouted, turning to her as Prysm struggled to her feet.

"You two are strong together," Prysm mused.

"We are Thunder and Lightning, the Storm Twins," Lightning arrogantly jeered. "Of course when combined, our powers are unbeatable."

"Quit your monologue, Lightning! We have more important factors to deal with!" Jinx ordered with volatility, smacking his shoulder.

Lightning instantly deflated and hearing Kole laughed only worsened his mood. Thunder sympathetically placed a hand on his shoulder, but looked over to find Argent standing over Prysm. She outstretched her hand, but Prysm did not accept it. Before he could say anything, Prysm floated into the air.

"Where're ya going?" Gnarrk snarled, pushing away from Thunder. "Get back here, ya freak!"

Prysm's eyes bulged in her skull. She appeared to have been slapped across the face. Her breathing became ragged as she repeated the world like a sour apple. Suddenly, her glass skin became blood red, and her eyes turned to a sun color. Shrieking monstrously, she threw out her hands as a blast of shimmering crimson energy cut through the sky and into Gnarrk. The caveman sputtered as he was blasted into the ground, creating a crater.

"I am not a freak," Prysm hissed, lips curving into a dangerous snarl. "I'll see you all soon."

She dashed off like light speed, and her body vanished into thin air. The Titans gasped, staring up at all the girl that was once before her. Gnarrk groaned, and Kole weakly called out to him. Lightning urged her to remain still, and Thunder and Jinx checked on him, finding that he was stable, but injured. Argent stared up at the trees, trying to find a glimmer of the friend she hadn't seen in two years.

"Argent," Thunder began, claiming her attention, "are you well? She said that she was like you, my brother and I. Why does she attack us if she is like us?"

"I wish I could answer that, blue boy, but she mentioned her father…Father…" Argent wracked her mind, growling in annoyance. "I have no idea what is running through her head."

"Do not fret your mind over it," Thunder stated, smiling gently. "I am certain we will be able to find out soon enough."

"Yeah, you're probably right, blue boy. Thanks." She grinned up to him, and Prysm's words came rushing back at him of her just using him as a 'boy toy'. However, he returned the smile evenly, watching curiously as she walked over to check on Kole.

"Zap, you better not drop me," Kole warned as Lightning hovered in the air after transmuting his lower body. When he loosened his grip, he smirked as she yelped. "Lightning!"

"What? Can I not amuse myself?" he sneered as the others Titans followed up into the skies with Thunder carrying Gnarrk and Argent holding Jinx.

They returned to the snowy tundra that was the North Pole. Argent set Jinx down, and she called out to Kid Flash. From the heavens came fresh, crisp snow drizzled slowly like a softer version of the Storm Twins' rain. Thunder and Lightning gazed up at the snow surprised. They hardly snow their entire lives together. On rare occasions when they traveled on their own before meeting the Titans did they see the crystals from above, but it had always been stabbing down at them, never gentle. Thunder raised out a hand, experimentally catching the snowflakes.

"They have little patterns on them, brother," Lightning observed, leaning in as the snowflakes melted in Thunder's palm.

"Youse act like you guys never seen snow before or somethin'" Gnarrk bluntly stated.

"We are not savages. We have seen snow, just not so gentle," Thunder retorted, frowning.

"Is he sleeping?" Argent asked as she and Jinx hovered over Kid Flash.

Jinx knelt down next to him, and she slapped him straight across the face. Kid Flash shrieked, shooting up and rubbed his face. The girls glared down at him, and he meekly greeted them. When Thunder and Lightning came over, shooting even deadlier glowers at him, Kid Flash really wanted to find the nearest rock and hide underneath.

"I swear I wasn't sleeping," he protested.

"Of course, and Santa Claus is real," Jinx sarcastically quipped.

"…Santa Claus is not real?" Lightning asked, hurt.

"…You didn't know?" Jinx craned her neck to see the brothers shake their head sadly. "Well, now you do."

"Witch," Lightning grumbled.

"Some crazy energy beam just shot out of there and hit me," Kid Flash informed, pointing down to world below. "Said her name was Prysm and that she was looking for you guys, but something else hit me from behind, and I passed out."

"It wasn't Prysm?" Argent asked, and Jinx helped him stand.

"No, someone way stronger. I managed to get a glimpse of him, but he seemed…weird, like burly and massive. Not Mammoth huge, but similar," Kid Flash explained, rubbing his head and winced. "He hit me right there."

Kole grunted, holding her arm. A cut was there, but was worse than the others were. Fresh blood oozed from it, ripping the skin open like the seams on a dress. The others Titans wasted no time, immediately transporting themselves back to the tower. Kole groaned, leaning into Lightning as he swore she would be fine.

Using his teleportation technique with Thunder, they ended up on the roof of their headquarters and right over the pool. Looking down, they both gasped, but Thunder managed to summon his cloud and protect himself and Gnarrk. In the nick of time, he grabbed Kole, but his brother slipped through his grasp, and Lightning slammed into the water. Lightning shrieked, flailing and pathetically dog paddled towards the edge. Crawling out, he glared furiously at Thunder who winced weakly.

_Watch yourself when you slumber, brother. You will not be amused when you wake up_, Lightning deviously threatened, sneering darkly as his brother cringed.

Thunder weakly protested as Lightning placed his arms behind his head, kicking open the hatch and walked down. Gnarrk staggered, swaggering in front of Thunder, insisting that he was feeling better. Kole continued to cling to Thunder, and he held her like she was a baby. They brought both of them to their medical room which was set up in what used to be Alfonsa's, Argent's mother, modeling room. Thunder placed Kole onto the table, and Lightning fiddled with a few buttons on the wall before bringing out a medical kit. Throwing it over to his brother, Lightning grabbed a stool and looked around the barren room. The walls were white with five separate tables for anyone who was injured. Inside the walls were bandages and other necessities to heal people all with a push of a button on the right wall.

"Thanks," Kole crooned weakly as Thunder began to wrap bandages around her arm.

"My pleasure," Thunder replied, smiling.

"How did Prysm defeat you?" Lightning asked.

"She's like Kole and kinda like you," Gnarrk informed, sitting up on a table. "She takes energy and blasts it. It's weird, like a combo of youse two."

"Peculiar, but Argent did mention that she was like you and I, brother," Thunder reported as his brother nodded gravelly.

"I'm just worried," Kole admitted. "Argent said she was supposed to be back on her home planet. Why is she here? What is she after?"

"Crystal witch, I wish I could give you an answer," Lightning admitted.

…

This is the sequel to Gan and Tavis, so if you do not understand what is going on, you should probably read that first. So, please review!


	2. Space

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

Thunder finished up wrapping Kole's arms and wounds in bandages. He suggested for her to stay there on the bed, and she complied, lying down with a sigh. Gnarrk stated he would stay with her, sitting on the stool Thunder had pulled up. Lightning, who had been leaning against the wall, pushed himself forward and flicked Kole on the forehead.

"Ow! Zap, what is your problem?" she demanded, rubbing her slightly bruised forehead.

"Retrieve your strength, crystal witch. I can sense a battle about to brew," Lightning sneered, smirking. "Come, brother! We are leaving."

Thunder sighed, shaking his head and followed Lightning out of the room. Quietly shutting the door, he frowned at his brother disapprovingly. _Brother, you should not taunt her._

_Why? _Lightning blinked.

_Because she has been through a lot today. Let her have some peace, _Thunder requested as they walked down towards the common room. The main doors slid open, revealing their comrades together.

Kid Flash was lying on the couch with an ice pack over his head. His head was positioned on Jinx' unwilling lap, and the reformed villainess sighed, rolling her eyes. Waving uneasily to them, Jinx ignored the temptation to shove Kid Flash off of her when he began to cuddle onto her.

Argent tapped a few buttons on the computer screen in front of her. Noticing Thunder and Lightning in the light green reflection, she smiled and turned, saying, "C'mere and take a look at this."

The screen lit up, exposing a full body image of Prysm. Next to her was her profile, but it was written in what seemed to be hieroglyphics with strange swirling marks next to each symbol. Argent explained that it was the language of the H'san Natall.

"Prysm was originally raised in a computerized world based off of fifties' television, but then she met up with us and learned of modernized culture on this planet. Needless to say, she preferred her computerized home since she thought our world was too violet and, well, sensual." Argent shrugged. "Prysm is also the only daughter and child of King Ch'ah, the leader of the entire race of the H'san Natall."

"She is his offspring? That means she is the heir to the throne?" Thunder questioned in shock.

"Right, blue boy. Prysm's mother became the queen when she married the king. King Ch'ah's wife, besides yours and mine, know that their children are part alien," she informed.

"Wait, what about Hot Spot and Risk's parents? Aren't they like you?" Kid Flash asked, sitting up, still holding the ice pack.

Argent glanced over her shoulder sadly, sighing through her nose. "The boys just didn't want to tell their parents because they feared it would ruin it." Bitterly, she glared back at her hand, thinking, _Just like it wrecked my relationship with my father._

Thunder placed a hand on her shoulder, surprising the New Zealand native. A gentle, but concerned frown was written on his face. "You do not seem well. Are you fine?"

Nodding, she tapped his chest with her knuckles. "Yup, just fine."

Lightning rolled his eyes, pointing to Prysm's image. "So, allow me to summarize. Your old comrade, Prysm, is the princess of our alien heritage's world." When Argent nodded, he added starkly, "Well, she mentioned her father a dozen times! Why does he desire us? Argent, in fact, you never revealed to my brother or I or even our friends what you and the others did on the H'san Natall's world! Why not?"

Crimson eyes narrowed into slits. She snarled furiously at the yellow elemental who flinched for a brief second at her sudden animosity, but recovered with his own growl. "Don't bring it up."

"We deserve to know now that they have attacked once more!" Lightning argued.

"Lightning's got a point, Argent," Jinx interjected, standing from her spot to confront Argent. "Just spill it."

"She does not have to if it harms her," Thunder defended quickly. "Argent will tell us when she feels comfortable."

"Thunder's got a point," Kid Flash added, standing up and stood next to Jinx. "We can't just force her to tell us."

"Still! We have proven ourselves trustworthy to her!" Lightning bickered.

Argent's head dropped, slamming her closed hand against the computer screen. The resounding crack jolted the other Titans. She breathed heavily, trembling and suddenly stormed off, shoving Lightning into his brother. Lightning shouted after her, but Thunder snatched his wrist.

"Why did you do that?" Thunder snapped as the doors shut.

"Do what? Try and extrapolate information we need that she is withholding from us is what Lightning would call it. We have been her friends for a year, brother," Lightning quipped, jabbing him in the chest. "We have a right to know."

"Ya know, there are some secrets of a person's past that really hurts them," Kid Flash interposed. "Sometimes the memories are just too painful that they never want to reveal them." He crossed his arms, keeping his gaze directly on Lightning. "That's why you didn't even tell Beast Boy about your past, Lightning. Am I right?" 

Lightning scowled, crossing his arms and turned away. "I suppose you are correct, but this involves us all now."

The computer screen began beeping like it was their communicators. Being the most efficient with technology, Kid Flash tapped the large yellow "T" that popped up. Robin appeared, looking as bold like always, but grim as well. Giving them all a courtesy greeting, he instantly asked where Argent was.

"Right here," she replied, stumbling back into the room. "I just needed to let off some steam so I punched a wall. What's up, Traffic Light?"

Cringing at the nickname, he replied as he withdrew a document from his pocket, "We've received an emergency transmission from Kole and Gnarrk that was sent to you guys. Is everything okay?"

"Kole and Gnarrk are currently resting," Thunder reported. "Kole has injuries, but she will live."

Robin sighed in relief, lowering his head slightly. "Good, that's great news. What happened?"

Argent explained the entire charade to him, but she immediately defended her friend. Deep down, she knew Prysm was always a good person. Naïve in the past, but she learned how to deal with certain people and situations. Argent knew that Prysm was a good girl, but to attack Kole and Gnarrk so savagely made her cringe.

"She continuously referred that her father needed us H'san Natall hybrids," she informed once she finished the explanation.

"But why though?" Robin asked.

"Never said why," Jinx replied.

"And who is this second figure that knocked Kid Flash out?"

"Couldn't tell. He got me from behind," Kid Flash sheepishly explained, throwing his ice pack into the garbage. "I'm just assuming that the guy's an accomplice of Prysm. He was just as strong as Mammoth, maybe stronger."

"We'll tell Hot Spot and Risk to be on the lookout for her," Argent stated.

"That's the problem," Robin growled lowly.

"Has something occurred with them?" Thunder asked curiously.

"Hot Spot and Risk's communicator signals have been completely jammed since Gnarrk's distress call. Herald and Jericho surveyed their respective areas of Morocco and in the middle of America where Risk is usually seen. However, they haven't been able to find them." Robin grit his teeth, looking over his shoulder as Cyborg's voice rang out. "Sorry, but a robbery just broke out. I'm leaving this task of finding those two and bringing Prysm to justice in your capable hands. Robin out."

The screen went blank, and Jinx shut the computer off. "So, how do we find them?" 

"This is the first that I've heard of Hot Spot and Risk being gone," Kid Flash recalled. "They're always around when I went to play poker." A few curious eyebrows raised at his statement. "What? They stink cards. I get all their money."

"Greedy fool," Lightning quipped.

"You know, it could be a possibility that Prysm got to them," Jinx suggested.

"As much as I don't want you to be right, Jinx, you just might be," Argent mumbled, crossing her arms. She whipped out her communicator. "Time to call Prysm."

"You can reach her on our communicator?" Thunder asked, surprised.

She nodded. "Technically, she is like an ally to the Titans, but since she's back on the H'san Natall's world, she's not an Honorary Titan." She searched through her list of Titans and allies, finding Prysm near the top after Risk. She pressed the name and waited.

"Answering," Prysm stated, light violet face appearing on screen.

"Where the heck are Isaiah and Cody?" Argent demanded furiously.

"Ah, Antonia!" She appeared delighted, smiling at the enraged New Zealander.

"Where are they?" she reiterated more forcefully.

"I have told you before. My father wants you all back home," Prysm explained slowly.

"We stopped King Ch'ah from attacking the planet last time. Why are you doing this?"

Prysm lowered her head slightly, refusing to met Argent's heated glare. "We have watched Earth from far away in another galaxy. The Earth is rotted with crime and war, just like our world."

Kid Flash snatched the communicator out of Argent's hand, snapping, "But there's also good in this world, too! People fight to save it!"

"But is it enough? There will always be treachery and villains." Prysm sighed, rolling her eyes. "Antonia should know. Has she told you about her past? What she was before? She was-"

Argent ripped the communicator straight out of Kid Flash's startled grasp. "Shut up, Audrey! Where are our friends?"

Prysm stared blankly at her, but deep down, there was a sadness gleaming in her glass orbs. She shook her head, sighing once more as if to aggravate Argent further. "They have joined me, joined the H'san Natall."

"I don't believe you!"

"Yes, they are our friends. They would never become villainous," Thunder added, appearing over Argent to glower down at Prysm.

Prysm merely cruelly smiled and suddenly cut the transmission. Argent gasped, trying to get the frequency back, but a sentence appeared on the bottom.

COME TO OUR WORLD…OR YOU ALL DIE WITH THEM.

A simultaneous chill ran down through the spines of Titans South's members. Argent shut down her communicator, staring at the floor with a heavy sigh. Lightning crossed his arms, exchanging a horrified look with Thunder. Kid Flash gulped audibly while Jinx exhaled slowly like she was holding her breath as she read.

"We…we must go to her and her father now. Our friends could very well die. We could perish as well," Lightning stammered after a few moments.

"I just can't believe she would do this," Argent mumbled. "She was always against violence, the pacifistic one of the group. She never believed that fighting would work, but now…" Argent pursed her lips, looking away.

"We will rescue our friends and find an explanation that will solve our issue with Prysm. If she is your friend, Argent, we must help her through this dark time," Thunder nobly stated.

Argent smiled, nodding. "Yeah, you're right…as usual, blue boy! Sheesh, you should get your own talk show and nag people on thinking positively."

"Well, that's all he's good for," Jinx quipped as Thunder chuckled nervously.

The doors opened, revealing Gnarrk. Approaching the group, he shouted, "Hey, I got Omen on the talking device!"

"…You mean the communicator?" Kid Flash asked, blinking.

"Yeah, that thing." Gnarrk threw it over to Argent, revealing a fair skinned, ginger-haired young woman with sparkling blue eyes. "I called her a few minutes ago on that glass freak, and she said that she just saw a vision…" He pointed to Thunder and Lightning. "…'bout youse two."

"My brother and I?" Thunder asked, shocked.

"Hello, Titans South," Omen greeted in her smooth voice. "As a member of the Titans myself, I have heard of the tragedy with Hot Spot and Risk, and Gnarrk was kind enough to inform me about Prysm, but as he finished, I saw something dreadful." She touched her temples, closing her eyes. "I saw your futures, Thunder and Lightning. I saw a betrayal of some sorts and a body falling. I couldn't see who was who, but I could hear scrambled voices. People crying out to each other, screaming and yelling. Bodies falling to the ground. Death, perhaps."

Thunder was shaken to the core at Omen's revelations. He and Lightning had met Omen through Gnarrk when he found her unconscious in his home after she ran away from her's like Kole. She was never wrong with her predictions, but they were either clear or vague. This one was too vague to ascertain if it was truly about the brothers or others close to them.

"Feh, sounds like madness!" Lightning scoffed, sticking his nose into the air snootily.

"Brother," Thunder warned in a quiet shock.

"We are brothers! We would never harm each other!" Lightning snapped irritably. "We have been through so much. Why should we be so vengeful towards each other? There is no solution to that answer."

Omen narrowed her pointed gaze on the yellow elemental. "Listen to me. I can see the future, but not what leads up to it. You have the power to change what is coming. We all do. Head my warning, Lightning especially." She turned her head, hearing her name. "I am being called on by Wonder Girl. Farewell."

"Banana, what was that?" Gnarrk growled, snatching the communicator from Argent.

Indignant as he was, Lightning hated insults. "I am not a fruit! I am Lightning!"

"I don't give two sh-"

"Gnarrk!" Kole shouted, coming in from the medical wing. "Did you show them Omen?"

"Yep, but yer little boyfriend here ain't takin' her seriously," he scowled.

"…Boyfriend?" Kole and Lightning repeated simultaneously.

"…Well, you two aren't denying it," Kid Flash stated after silence passed.

"If I may," Thunder interjected before they could gang up and kill the speedster, "we still must figure out a way to counter Omen's vision and locate our friends."

"Prysm said go to the H'san Natall's world, but how?" Jinx asked.

"Can we not borrow one of those space flying mechanisms that Cyborg creates?" Lightning suggested.

"We'll have to get permission though," Argent explained. "It's not like he's just gonna go along with it."

…

"Okay," Cyborg stated.

"…That was simplistic," Thunder whispered as Lightning nodded.

"Robin told me the situation earlier. We all know what's going on. All the Honorary Titans, Titans East and Titans North have been alerted, too. The H'san Natall are one of the most violent alien races. Starfire told me that her planet, Tamaran, had some skirmishes a while back before she came here," Cyborg explained, bringing Titans South, Kole and Gnarrk to the basement of his tower in Jump City.

Cyborg brought them over to a machine that Thunder instantly recognized. It was the same bright orange T-Ship that Cyborg used when they traveled to New Zealand to rescue Lightning and Kole from the Hive. However, it had been newly modified to hold more than four people with double seats in the three seats. However, that only meant six people could go.

"Okay, thanks, Cy. We can handle it from here," Jinx stated with a wink.

Cyborg nodded, blowing her a fake kiss that she caught. Kid Flash raised a jealous eyebrow, crossing his arms. Once he left, he frowned at Jinx with a pouting expression. She merely grinned back, patting his cheek and skipped over to the machine with him grunting and following.

"Let's prioritize. Somebody can't go," Argent stated. "Thunder, Lightning, and I must go because we're part of the H'san Natall."

"Kid Flash and I are part of Titans South, meaning your issues are our issues," Jinx added.

Gnarrk nudged Kole forward, jeering, "She'll go."

"Huh? Me? But Gnarrk, what about you?" she asked in concern, gazing up at her best friend in utmost concern.

The caveman smiled, ruffling her bubblegum hair. "Don't you worry 'bout me. Omen said she'd give me a place to stay at. Besides, I wouldn't want you to get all lonely down there in our little home."

Kole smiled, giving a quick hug to the one she considered to be a brother. Lightning rolled her eyes at her, and she caught it, smirking and leaned up, flicking his nose. He yelped, demanding to know what the "attack" was for.

"Just returning the favor of you flicking my forehead," she sneered.

Gnarrk suddenly grasped Lightning's shoulder, asking if he could speak with him privately. Lightning hesitated before agreeing, and Gnarrk snatched his arm, dragging him around the corner. With swiftness like the young elemental's namesake, he slammed Lightning against the wall. Lightning grunted softly, barely having the breath in him to fully gasp.

"If you let anythin' happen to Kole, I swear, you won't live to see your eighteenth birthday," he growled lowly.

Lightning gulped audibly, a cold sweat breaking out on him. He nodded immediately, quelling Gnarrk's worries. He smiled, placing him back on the ground. Slowly, he turned to walk away when Lightning called his name.

"If I fail, I will be dishonored, and you may do whatever you wish to punish me. I swear on my honor that I will protect her," Lightning vowed.

"Good 'cause you know I'm holdin' you to it," Gnarrk sneered, waving him off.

Smiling at the caveman's receding backside, Lightning returned to his friends and found Thunder waving up to him from a seat he saved for him in the T-Ship. Argent sat with Kole while Kid Flash was with Jinx. Lightning flew up, sitting next to his brother with a large grin. He eagerly checked around the "contraption" as he and his brother dubbed it, finding all sorts of panels, buttons and thrusters around them. There were two levers in front of them, and there was a control manual in front of them. Thunder picked it up, reading it and raised an eyebrow.

_Brother, what is a booster? _Thunder asked, sharing a curious look with Lightning.

He looked down at the book, finding every sentence to be a rambled mess. _I do not even wish to know, brother._

"Hey, can you guys hear me in there?" Argent asked, face appearing in a small screen in the middle of the brothers.

"We can," Thunder replied as Lightning was about to press a random button, but Thunder smacked his hand down.

"Your side controls all the lasers, but don't get all trigger-happy on us. Otherwise, you two might blow us up. Only shoot when I tell you to," Argent ordered with a grin. "Kid Flash, Jinx, your side does the same. Kole and I control the ship's flight and coordination."

Ecstatic expressions were her reply. They nodded eagerly, and Lightning pressed the button he was aiming for. Out from the front of their side came a few lasers. Thunder pushed the oval, glass and xenothium dome that shielded them from attacks up and looked down. Argent opened her, whipping down one of her mascara bottles, slapping Lightning over the head.

"What did I just tell you, Lightning?" she snapped.

"I was preparing myself for future battles!" Lightning shouted back.

"Peace! Peace! My brother did not mean any offense," Thunder quickly interjected, settling Lightning back down in his seat.

Argent rolled her eyes, sharing an amused look with Thunder than Kole. She and Lightning pulled down their protective domes. She and Kole began flicking on some switches, and the engine roared with lion's fury. In front of them, the massive doors opened, revealing Jump City in her early morning rays. Orange and yellow light flooded in like a sideways waterfall. Fire and light ejected from the back engines, and instantly, the Titans began buckling themselves up and leaned back, preparing for flight and the journey ahead.

The aircraft lurched forward, and the brothers squeezed their eyes shut tightly. Even with their long, two-year experience with the Titans, they still were not keen on technology. When they renewed their courage to open their eyes, Thunder was the first, peering cautiously out the window and gasped slightly, placing his fingers on the dome. Taking his brother's gasp as good, Lightning peered out with one opened eye and glanced.

Surrounding them was black with white dots. Space seemed so empty and cold, but below them was the cobalt glass orb of Earth. Everyone was staring down at it, drinking in their planet's body and life-sustaining nature. Argent and Kid Flash, due to adventures with her heritage and being the nephew to the Flash respectively, had seen space before. Yet, everybody never saw the beauty of space, only from the black lining of the sky it left on their world at night.

"Greetings!"

Thunder and Lightning jerked back into their seats, finding their favored friend Starfire's face in their small screen.

"Hello, Starfire," Thunder replied amicably as Lightning smiled.

"Cyborg has informed me that you are all going into space! It is most joyous! I have informed Galfore, the new emperor of Tamaran, that if you need any assistance, go in a line to him," she stated with a grin.

"I think you mean, go 'straight' to him," Kid Flash corrected with a cheeky grin.

"…Why would I wish to go straight? It takes a few lefts in the next galaxy to reach my world," Starfire explained, blinking in confusion.

"It's just a figure of speech, Starfire. No big deal," Kole chuckled.

"Robin has also asked me to tell you all that by every earthly night, one of you is two inform us of whatever occurred during the day."

"What? How're we supposed to tell? We're in freaking space!" Jinx sputtered, eyes widening. "That stupid Robin…"

"We'll try our best to keep up with the time, Star," Argent replied as Jinx glanced up to her angrily.

Starfire nodded, waved quickly and cut off the link. Jinx instantly threw her hands up, and Argent waved her down. Before Jinx could activate her screen and nag at her, Argent swiftly cut off the communications between them so she would not have to deal with her. Jinx furiously pounded on her dome, and Argent took out her earbuds, placing one in and offered one to Kole. When she declined with a smile, Argent shrugged and placed the other in.

Jinx slumped back into her seat, crossing her arms. "…She can be such a witch with a b."

Kid Flash laughed, rubbing her shoulder before slinking her arm around it. "Don't worry about it, Jinx. It's just you and me in this dome." He winked flirtatiously, smirking. "Together."

Jinx gasped, flustered and turned away from Kid Flash. She noticed that Thunder and Lightning were gazing from their dome with wide smiles, and she screamed at them to turn away. When they did, she was met with a random rose by Kid Flash in her ear.

"…Where do you get these?" she asked.

"That's my little secret," Kid Flash sneered, leaning back and crossed his legs on the dashboard in front of them. "Well, I'm taking a little nap. Holler if you need anything."

"So, where are we heading? How do we get to the H'san Natall's world?" Lightning asked.

Argent appeared in the small screen once more, an earbud hanging out. "Don't worry. It'll take us a day or two at the most to get there. We'll take Starfire's advice and go to Tamaran, stock up on more supplies if we need it. Cyborg packed us supplies in a few compartments in the back of the ship."

"Oh."

"Has anybody even been to Tamaran?" Kole asked, but only to be replied with a chorus of negative responses. "Well, what if they don't know that it's us and attack anyway?"

"Simple! We strike back!" Lightning jeered.

"No, you idiot, we'll talk diplomatically," Jinx snapped.

"I'm sure the people of Tamaran know that we are coming. After we supply ourselves with what we require, we shall head over to the world of the H'san Natall," Thunder stated grimly.

…

Can't really say much since this was mostly a filler chapter to get them into space. So, please review.


	3. Tamaran

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

They presumed it was night on Earth so most of Titans South fell asleep. Thunder glanced over to Kid Flash and Jinx, smirking a bit as he saw Jinx curled up against the sleeping auburn-haired boy. Argent and Kole had also hit the coop, setting the ship into autopilot. Only he and Lightning were still awake, watching space's sky in awe.

"How many stars do you think are up there?" Lightning asked. "They seem larger now that we are closer."

Thunder gazed around. A few dots of stars were cascading past the ship, and Thunder pointed them out to Lightning. They were like small fires in the sky, illuminating the darkness away. Lightning laughed in amusement, eyes brightening like the stars outside.

"There must be over millions of stars," Thunder replied as Lightning continued gazing at the stars.

"So, where is the Big Dipper again? Chan said it was…um…" He trailed off, finger slowly lowering as Thunder smiled and patted his shoulder.

Thunder pointed out to a rather large star, connecting along three adjacent stars and a few smaller ones in the outskirts of the rectangle to form the hilt. Lightning nodded slowly, mouth a tiny gape as he squinted to see where his brother was pointing. Smiling as he finally saw where Thunder was gesturing at, he placed his head on Thunder's broad shoulder, chuckling as Thunder wrapped his arm protectively around him.

"Omen's vision troubles me," Thunder stated quietly.

"She speaks nonsense, brother," Lightning proclaimed, waving his hand to hush his brother.

"But all of her visions have come true, even if they are vague and uncertain. I fear it will happen," he urged sadly.

Lightning leaned up to Thunder's face, scowling darkly. "We have faced our father and killed him. What can be worse than that?"

"Bodies falling, could it be our friends?"

"Brother, you sound insane!"

Thunder shot Lightning an annoyed glare as Lightning sat back in his chair, glaring at the stars. "I am only worried about all of us, Lightning."

"I know that! It is just that it will not occur," Lightning growled, crossing his arms.

Thunder sighed, looking away. "I just do not want what happened a year ago to return to haunt us once more."

They killed their father, Walter Williams, the general of the H'san Natall, in order to save the world, but he repented for everything he had done to them and their mother. After that day, they never felt quite right with themselves. The brothers never killed before in their young lives until that day where they learned the truth about their heredity and background. They rarely spoke of it, keeping it in the backs of their minds and resented the fact it was the one thing people remembered them for.

Interest piqued from the horridness of that fated day. Lightning placed a sympathetic hand on Thunder's shoulder, a complete role reversal, as it was usually Thunder doing the gesture to calm Lightning down. Thunder smiled at Lightning's apologetic, if somewhat pouting expression and ruffled his hair. Lightning whined, slapping his hand away, but Thunder went right back to doing it after locking Lightning in a headlock.

"Hsuan! You are such a jerk, brother!" Lightning wailed. "What would Mother say if she saw you treating your younger brother so horridly?"

They paused, waiting a few seconds as they realized that they never told Cara Chi, their mother, where they were. Looking slowly to each other, they dove for their communicators to find a message waiting for them on Thunder's.

"Well, it seems that the two of you have gone into space. I asked the Titans in Jump City where you were heading, and they told me," Cara's voice stated.

"I am going to kill that robot," Lightning grumbled.

"…Look, just don't get killed by any aliens, and we will not have a problem. If you two fight, I will hit you both. Oh, and Argent has a message from her mother, too. It is a mother's job to worry about her children because I gave birth to both of you. Please, just be safe. I love you both so much."

"…I cannot tell if she wants to throw us out a four story window again or embrace us in her bountiful love," Thunder murmured.

"I can never tell if she is planning on making us do even more chores," Lightning moaned.

The brothers sighed, slinking into their seats, ready to drift off to slumber. It was at that moment that the alarm suddenly shot off on the ship. Titans South and "Honorary Southie" Kole instantly went to work at trying to figure out what shot at them. Thunder and Lightning, ready to kill something for not being able to get some sleep, pressed random buttons and activated a random laser, which shot out at something. An explosion was seen in the distance.

"…Uh oh," Thunder muttered.

"What did I say about pressing anything?" Argent shrieked.

"We did not get any sleep! Be quiet, silver wretch!" Lightning hissed.

"Look, let's just talk things out with them. I'm certain they aren't too mad," Kid Flash urged.

Oh, they were mad. A few dozen Tamaranean lethal ships surrounded them. The one that was blasted at only suffered minimal damage to its hull. Immediately, their own lasers were out, ready to kill the Titans. Four very, very furious glares were situated on Thunder and Lightning. Both gulped, exchanging a worried look and apologized sheepishly.

"You two are so going to be our sacrifices," Jinx snarled.

"Follow us," one Tamaranean ordered. "Emperor Galfore would like to meet you."

"Galfore is the leader of Tamaran. He's the one that raised Starfire," Argent explained. "Just let me do the talking, and we'll be fine. Starfire also said that she spoke to her people and ordered to give us a place to stay."

"Hopefully they aren't hostile after what those two did," Jinx groaned.

"It was just an accident," Lightning muttered as Argent guided the ship to follow the Tamaraneans.

They approached Tamaran, staring intently to capture the planet's outer beauty. It appeared to be like a ball of candy, white and pink swirls on it. Looks of awe crossed their faces, exchanging glances as they came closer to Starfire's home planet.

"Start lowering," the same Tamaranean ordered, and Kole complied, throwing back a thruster.

"How can they invade our communication systems?" Thunder asked.

"Cyborg said that this ship is hooked by with some technology that can be allowed to communicate with other races. It gives them access to us, and us access to them," Kole replied as they started landing.

Lightning placed his hands against the glass oval that protected them. The world seemed to be in ruins with destroyed grounds and what looked like pollution in the sky. Lightning wondered if rain could be made with such horrid surroundings. He envisioned Starfire's world as beautiful, much like his precious world of Earth, with foliage covering the world and clear skies.

_How can rain be made, brother, if there are no clouds? _Lightning thought in worry.

_Maybe it does not rain here, brother, _Thunder offered, shrugging as they landed next to thousands of smaller aircrafts fit for one.

They Titans experimentally stepped out, facing a legion of Tamaran's finest soldiers with strange sorts of spears, swords and guns. Jinx narrowed her eyes to Thunder and Lightning, commenting that they certainly did a fine job. They glared sideways to her, ignoring the harshness of her words before gasping at the massive figure coming towards them.

Emperor Galfore gazed down at the Titans, observing each one of them before fixing his gaze on Argent. "Are you the leader?" he asked.

She nodded. "I am. My name is Argent, leader of Titans South. We're Starfire's friends as well."

Galfore nodded, gesturing for his guards to put down their arms, which they complied. "Fine, it is pleasant to meet the friends of my little bumgorf. She is certainly a dear, isn't she?"

"She is," Argent replied, smiling. "She also said that you'd house us in case we needed it, right?"

Galfore inclined his head, keeping his smile warm. "Come, we have much to speak of."

The members of Titans South followed Galfore and his guards throughout the grand halls of Tamaran's castle. Massive plants adorned the halls and glass windows resided on the walls. Royals gazed at them, murmuring amongst themselves. Thunder and Lightning watched them in interest, finding them to wear almost the exact same uniform as Starfire with slight variations.

_Starfire was the princess of this world! Why would she give it up, brother? _Lightning asked as a few guards opened the doors to the grand hall.

_To stay united with her friends. Her home is now on Earth, _Thunder explained with a soft grin.

"Now, I am certain that my little Star has told you about our customs, yes?" Galfore asked.

"Nope, never told us," Kid Flash stated.

"I see. Well, it is something that I invented for outsiders. Even though you are friends of Starfire, I do not believe she knows of the tragedy that occurred," Galfore grimly stated.

"What is the trouble?" Thunder asked in concern.

Galfore flashed him a hate-filled glower, narrowing his one good eye on him. "The H'san Natall attacked Tamaran earlier today. They attacked a remote area until it sent four savages to attack me directly," the emperor snarled. "Four savages that were Titans, H'san Natall and human hybrids: Hot Spot, Risk, Fringe, and their leader, Princess Prysm."

"They attacked you?" Kole cried in shock.

"She's got Hot Spot and Risk. That's why nobody can reach them," Argent announced in horror. "Listen, Emperor Galfore, I can take responsibility for them. Hot Spot and Risk have been brainwashed by Prysm, and I don't know what happened to Fringe either. It's King Ch'ah, he's your enemy!"

Galfore nodded, placing a hand on Argent's shoulder. "I know that, but you and them…" He gestured to Thunder and Lightning. "…are of their kin. I can tell that you three have honor and a sense of justice, but I cannot allow this to pass. Now that you have landed here, on Tamaran, they might come back."

The guards stepped forward, coming between the brothers and Argent from Kid Flash, Jinx and Kole. They raised their weapons, aiming, poised to kill if ordered. Kole shouted for Galfore to stop them, hands coming to her mouth. Galfore considered the bubblegum-haired heroine and her entreating eyes. He gazed over to Thunder, and a broad smirk came to his face.

"You, blue one, you seem like a strong young man," Galfore stated as Thunder blankly gazed at him.

"Uh, yes, I am. Thank you for your compliment," Thunder replied, bowing his head slightly.

"Excellent!" Galfore clapped his hands, separating his guards. A table appeared behind him, long and lean with a narrow body about a yard in width. "Come, we shall battle."

"You wish to battle my brother? Now?" Lightning questioned in shock. "What purpose will that serve? Not that I am doubting my brother's capabilities, and I know that he can defeat an elder like you."

"If your brother wins, Tamaran will be on your side and assist. If he fails, then we shall kick you all out. Tamaran's safety is in my hands," Galfore informed, stepping onto the table and moved to the back. He gestured to Thunder to come, and he did. "It is a test of strength. Whoever can shove his opponent off the edge, the back of the table, wins. I wish you the best of luck."

"As I wish you the same," Thunder replied as they both walked to the center of the table. "I must warn you. I am quite powerful."

"And I have seen wars upon wars. Do not doubt me," Galfore sneered, looking down to Thunder.

A royal-looking Tamaranean stepped beside the combatants in the middle of the table. Standing before them and upon Galfore's nod, he shouted something in Tamaranean, and Thunder looked to Galfore for a translation.

"He is saying that there is no time limit, and that words of encouragement from your friends is aloud. If it were anyone else, I would have them thrown out," Galfore explained.

The referee as Thunder referred to him as raised his arm. He knew the gesture, puffing out his chest and raised his arms as if to strike. Galfore remained still, glaring evenly at Thunder. Like his brother's element, the referee's arm came down and shouted something, signaling the beginning of the challenge.

Galfore snatched Thunder's arm, running back. Gasping, Thunder dug his heels into the table and grunted, resisting the powerful emperor's shoves. Thunder glanced down, finding that he shoved him a quarter of the way to the edge. Hissing, Thunder reared back and broke Galfore's grip, smashing into Galfore's waist and pushed the surprised alien back. However, Galfore snatched him by his helmet, whipped it off and snatched Thunder's ebony hair. Lifting Thunder over his shoulder, he slammed the elemental down onto the table and threw him forward. Thunder flopped along the table, nearing the edge from Galfore's former side.

"Oh, man, Thunder!" Kid Flash shouted. "You gotta get up!"

"Brother, if you do not get up, I will reveal to everyone what you sleep with at night!" Lightning cried.

Thunder's eyes shot over to Lightning in fear. His brother donned a victorious smirk with his arms crossed. Just as Lightning opened his mouth to speak, Thunder bolted to his feet and punched Galfore straight in the chest. Grunting as Thunder punched him across the face, Galfore snatched his wrist and delivered a blow to Thunder's cheek, but the elemental ducked his head just in time. Sliding through Galfore's legs, he snatched his ankles, swerved him to the edge, and dropped him. However, Galfore grasped the edge of the table, not touching the ground.

"Finish it, Thunder!" Jinx ordered.

Thunder stared down at Galfore as he struggled to remain in the battle. He hesitated, looking over to his friends sadly who stopped cheering at his somber gaze. Kneeling down before to Galfore, he offered his hand with a small grin. Staring incredulously at him, he grasped his hand tightly, and Thunder pulled the taller man to his feet. The Tamaranean emperor gazed down at Thunder intently, but also curiously. Thunder gulped inaudibly, wondering if he just ruined things for his friends.

"What is your name?" Galfore asked.

"I am Thunder."

"No, not your other name. Your _real_ name." 

Thunder flinched, recoiling slightly. No one asked him his true name ever. Not even Cara referred to him as Gan anymore as it brought horrid memories of their exile and lives before Titans. He shared a glance with Lightning who bit his lip.

"My…my name is Gan Williams," Thunder hesitantly replied.

"Gan Williams, you have a true spirit. You remind me much of Starfire." Galfore placed his hands on Thunder's shoulders, laughing jubilantly. "For such honor, I will allow your friends the comfort of the castle and whatever supplies they need. Prepare a feast!"

The guards raised their arms and cheered, and before Thunder knew it, Argent leaped onto the table and hugged him. "Aw, blue boy, you're the greatest!"

If Thunder's face could be any redder, it'd be the color of blood. Flustered, he awkwardly hugged her back and smiled. Ignoring the kissing faces by Kid Flash, he shot a beam at him that blasted the speedster into a wall. As Jinx went to pull him out, he noticed Lightning's expression.

Lightning's eyebrows were raised. Not out of fury, but of complete shock and awe. He hadn't been expecting for Argent to physically embrace Thunder out of total respect and maybe the "moment" was right. Lightning's chest suddenly contorted, and he turned away to face Jinx dragging Kid Flash to his feet and grasped his heart tightly. He took in a shaky breath and shook his head slightly.

"Zap?"

He looked down to Kole, clearing his throat. "Yes, crystal witch?"

Her cobalt eyes were large with worry as she tugged at his hand. "Are you okay? You seem out of it."

Shaking his head, he smirked. "I am Lightning. Why would I be 'out of it' as you say?" Patting her head, he snickered. "Run along, crystal witch, and find me a bedroom."

Kole wasted no time leaping up and smacking him over the head. "I'm not your maid! By the way, what _does_ Thunder sleep with?"

Before Lightning could reply, Thunder placed his head on Lightning's shoulder, smiling demonically. Lightning cringed, returning the grin shakily as Thunder snatched his hand, still smirking.

"You were not about to say anything, Lightning," Thunder commanded, tapping his nose.

"Um…yes, I was not," Lightning stammered. "…He sleeps with a toy dog named Blackie!"

Lightning covered his mouth as Thunder gaped at him. He slowly backed away, apologizing as their friends slowly looked from him and then to Thunder. The corners of Thunder's mouth twitched upwards as he glared death to Lightning. Jinx dropped Kid Flash to the floor, and they still stared in shock at the blue elemental. Kole's mouth looked ready to unhinge itself.

"Wait…" Argent paused, stepping next to Thunder. "Your dog, is it about a foot long with black fur and a velvet ribbon?"

"Uh…yes," Thunder answered, still glaring Lightning who mentally apologized.

"Oh, wow! Blue boy, I have the same one!" Argent gushed.

"Wait, you…you do?" Thunder could have sworn his mind was playing tricks on him, but Argent's suddenly bubbly expression persuaded him otherwise.

"Yeah! I got her when I was about seven from this store that was going out of business. I call mine Ribbon," she explained, linking arms with him. "Hm, maybe they should get together and have a baby."

Lightning and Kole stared at them before Thunder and Argent turned and asked in unison, "What?"

"…You two have issues," Kole blandly stated.

"Indeed," Lightning concurred.

"Do not think you are safe, brother," Thunder hissed, ruffling Lightning's hair. "I will get you back."

"Well, consider that revenge for dropping me in the pool!" Lightning shot back as Thunder laughed.

"You dropped him in the pool? Ugh, if only I was there!" Argent pouted.

"You know, there's a security system," Jinx interjected, stepping up to them with Kid Flash. "Just watch that."

"Hey, good point," she jeered, black lips smiling.

_Mental note to self: Destroy security system when venturing home, _Lightning thought, growling.

_Mental note to self: Stop Lightning from destroying the security system, _Thunder thought, looking over to Lightning who gasped. _We can hear each other's thoughts, remember?_

"Oh, shut up, Thunder! How about you and the silver wretch just sleep in the same room?" Lightning spat, crossing his arms.

"…Okay," Argent complied, grasping Thunder's hand and began to drag him away. "Me and blue boy'll be in the same bedroom. Tell us when dinner's ready."

"I was merely kidding!" Lightning shrieked, waving his arm in the air as the British girl and Thunder disappeared in one of the mammoth hallways on the castle. "Sometimes, I question her sanity."

"I question your sanity everyday," Kid Flash sneered as Lightning glared at him.

"Okay, so they're off doing heaven knows what. What do we do?" Jinx asked.

Galfore, who had been watching his loyal subjects prepare the dinner table where he and Thunder just stood, overheard. "Would you all like to be shown your respective rooms?"

"We've been traveling through space for a while. It would be nice, so thanks!" Kole jeered, smiling.

Galfore led them down the same hallway Thunder and Argent vanished into. Surrounding them were tall doors with strange weapons and training grounds for warriors to battle in. Lightning glanced down over to them, finding them to be amusing to watching into Kole sighed and snatched his arm, dragging him away.

"But I was watching them attempt to kill each other," he whined as Kole slapped him in the shoulder.

"You're such a man-child," Kole muttered.

"What did you refer to Lightning as?" Lightning shrieked, glaring at her.

"…Are they married?" Galfore asked, stopping them instantly.

Kid Flash belted with laughter as Jinx chuckled into her palm. Kole paled considerably as Lightning looked ready to faint. Slapping him on the back, Kid Flash snickered as walked on with Galfore who appeared extremely confused. Kole forced herself to walk, too much in shock that anyone would even insinuate she and Lightning were in a relationship. She accidentally walked into a wall, still in electrified shock as Lightning quietly ushered her away from the wall.

"There is no chance that I am ever going to hook up with that guy!" Kole shouted, pointing to Lightning.

"Oh, well, you are clearly too self-absorbed to notice my charm," Lightning sneered.

"You blew up the mailman because he thought you were Kid Flash!"

"It was a mistake on his part that was infuriating! How anyone can believe I am that sonic fool is clearly mad." Lightning crossed his arms and huffed, turning away.

Kid Flash rolled his eyes, snatching Lightning by his hair and forced him to follow Galfore and the girls. "C'mon, Mr. Big Shot, don't get your shorts in a bunch."

Lightning snorted, rolling his eyes and detangled himself. He glanced over his shoulder, wondering why Argent dragged his beloved brother. Whenever he thought of them together, his chest constricted. It was an unknown feeling invading his heart, dividing himself, but he knew the emotion somewhat.

He never felt this much envy before in his life. Sure, he had petty jealousies against Kid Flash for being faster, but they were still friends. It was like somebody came between them and began to rip through the brothers' bond. Thunder and Argent were usually working closely together whenever it wasn't him and Lightning. Strange pangs aroused in Lightning's chest whenever it occurred, making him feeling sick with his stomach twisting like he was bloated.

"And these will be your chambers," Galfore announced, bringing Lightning back to reality.

The beds were large, covered in fine, silk and violet linins. Galfore explained that purple was the color of honor and prosperity on Tamaran, which is why everyone wore it. Kid Flash dove for the bed, instantly curling up as Jinx kicked off her shoes and thanked Galfore. Kole yawned, nodding sleepily to him as thanks and chose a bed.

"You, yellow one," Galfore stated as Lightning started to venture in, "may we speak?"

"Certainly. I see no harm," Lightning replied, stepping outside with Galfore.

"Your eyes are filled with sadness. What is the matter?" When Lightning looked down and sighed through his nose, Galfore gave him a tender smile that reminded the elemental of his beloved other father, Chan To, the man who helped raise the brothers and control their powers. "I have helped raise three young ones, Blackfire, Starfire, and Wildfire. Anything you say to me will be sworn to secrecy unless volatile like plotting to kill."

"It is nothing of the sort. My brother has been with that silver wretch, I mean, Argent, and it is making me feel…peculiar," Lightning admitted, shrugging. "I have never felt this way before. We are always together, and he has just run off with her. I am…sad."

Galfore gave him a sympathetic smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But you and Thunder are connected in such a way that they cannot be. Remember this, blood goes back to blood. Brothers go back to brothers no matter what. When Blackfire escaped from jail a year ago, do you know what she did?"

Lightning shook his head.

"Why, she went back to Earth and asked Starfire for forgiveness for her horrible deeds against her, her friends and Tamaran. My little bumgorf forgave her without a second thought. She and their little brother, Wildfire, are currently reconnecting, and he is going to be my heir," Galfore informed. "Do you see, young one? If anything goes wrong, Thunder will always go back to you."

Lightning nodded, smiling. "I understand. Thank you for your kindness."

Ruffling Lightning's hair, Galfore gave a mighty laugh. "Do not worry about it! I have seen much sibling envy and rivalry that I cannot live a day without it! Now, about you and the little pink-haired girl…"

"We are not in a relationship! Why does everything believe that?" Lightning spat, crossing his arms.

"It is obvious that you two are harboring secret admirations towards each other."

"Never! She is the crystal witch!"

"I can hear you, Zap!" Kole shouted from within the room.

"Oh, blast it all," Lightning mumbled. "Do not start with me, woman!"

"Sexist," Jinx bluntly snapped from her bed as Kid Flash started to snore softly.

"…I really hate my team," Lightning growled, stepping into the room.

Galfore chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Sleep well. You will feast tomorrow."

…

Galfore was awesome in the series. I wish they used him more, but like Thunder and Lightning, he was dumped. Bawww. So, please review!


	4. Breakfast

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

Thunder spent the night with Argent on the roof of Galfore's castle. He wasn't sure why, but he liked the sound of her laughter. He always liked hearing others laugh, but her giggles stood above the rest. A fervent blush would always come to his face when she would latch onto him coyly, and that would make her laugh even harder. However, Thunder decided it was best to leave the subject of her past alone. Argent would tell him when she felt comfortable. He couldn't force her to spit it out as that would be hurtful to her, and Thunder hated making anyone downtrodden.

He woke up with a few of the Tamaranean guards staring down to him. Argent was asleep at his side, resting peacefully. Thunder couldn't resist a smile, but was suddenly ripped off the ground and to his feet by one of the guards. Another gently picked up Argent, shaking her slightly to wake her up.

"Emperor Galfore wishes to see the both of you in the feasting hall," the guard said as Argent yawned.

"What for?" Thunder asked, wiping his eyes to rid himself of sleepiness.

"The emperor would like to give you Titans a meal before you take your leave. We will upgrade your ships with technology that will help battle the H'san Natall," the second guard replied.

"They weren't that bad when I left 'em. I wonder what made King Ch'ah so…difficult," Argent mused, a finger to her chin.

The guards escorted the Titans down the main staircase and into the grand dining hall where Thunder wrestled Galfore. Thunder noted that Lightning was still half-asleep in his chair, nodding off. Smirking to himself, he nudged him in his shoulder, making the yellow elemental grunt lazily and wearily glanced up to him.

"Oh, good morning, brother," Lightning lethargically greeted with a sort of flip of his wrist as a wave.

"Did you sleep well?" Thunder asked, sitting next to him in one of the enormous gold chairs with red cushioning.

"Somewhat," Lightning replied. Looking around, he sighed and thought, _I had a dream like Omen's prediction._

Thunder pursed his lips, attention instantly shot onto Lightning. _What was it?_

_Still vague, I suppose, but I could see the other H'san Natall hybrids there…in sort glass room. I was staring at you, and then nothing, _Lightning recalled, tapping his chin inquisitively. _Then it was Hot Spot and Risk that shot out beside you and to the human Titans and I. Finally, nothing after that._

_How strange, but are you fine?_

Lightning nodded, but paused and rolled his eyes tiredly. _The dream left me awake half the night, so I suppose not._

Thunder placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, smiling gently. _We must be vigilant now. We shall not allow this King Ch'ah to claim victory over us or else our planet is doomed._

_Yes, but I believe that- _Lightning stopped, noticing a smaller boy bounce up to his side. "Hello?"

The boy was a twelve-year-old Tamaranean with long dark orange like all of his people in a long ponytail. His hair was curtly elongated with the metal band that allowed his locks to dangle around his waist. He donned nearly the same outfit as Starfire except that he wore long pants and his shirt extended to his waist and was secured by a metal belt with a red gem in the middle. His large emerald eyes gazed into Lightning as he smiled wildly.

"Do you know my sister?" the boy eagerly asked.

"Who is she?" Lightning curiously asked.

"Koriand'r, but I think where you're from, she's called Starfire," the boy explained. "Here, I'm called Ryand'r, but my name on your planet would be Wildfire."

"It is nice to meet you. We are Thunder and Lightning," Thunder greeted, smiling politely. "If you are Starfire's sister, would that make you the prince?"

Wildfire nodded.

"It is amusing to hear that you speak far better English than Starfire as well," Lightning sneered, snickering.

"I just learned it," Wildfire proudly proclaimed and then pointed to a dazed Kole opposite of Lightning who just sat down. "I kissed her and learned it."

"What?" Lightning screamed, shooting to his feet. "You kissed the crystal witch?"

Immediately, over a dozen guards surrounded Lightning. He gasped, taking in the breath sharply and held it, stiffening. Wildfire blinked, sheepishly shrugging and apologized. Thunder gently urged his brother to sit down which Lightning complied. Giving Wildfire a disdainful glare, he stopped when Galfore entered the room.

"I see you have met my youngest bumgorf, Wildfire. I apologize, Lightning, for him kissing Kole, and Kole, my humblest apologizes to you as well," Galfore stated.

Kole, still looking blank at the wall in front of her, nodded slowly. "Yeah, no problem."

Wildfire giggled, taking his seat next to her. Lightning gripped the tablecloth, glaring death at the Tamaranean. Noticing the glare, Wildfire childishly stuck his tongue out. Enraged, Lightning almost created a spark ball when Thunder snatched his knee, pinching it to control himself.

"Wow, Kole, I didn't know you were into kids," Jinx sniggered, setting her napkin over her lap.

"He-he just needed to know our language so he could speak to us. It's nothing more than that," Kole feebly argued. "Besides, he took me by surprise!"

Kid Flash glanced over to Lightning, asking, "How are you holding up?"

"I am prepared to go fully charged on the annoyance," Lightning seethed, crossing his arms.

"I welcome you all to Tamaran. Last night, you have proven your team worthy of fighting the H'san Natall, Gan Williams," Galfore jeered, raising a large, gold cup filled with wine.

Thunder nodded appreciatively, smiling. "Thank you for you kind words, emperor."

"Now, bring in the sustenance!" Galfore commanded.

Several more guards walked in two rows, carrying silver trays by the handles. In those massive plates were several Tamaranean delicacies. Most appeared like what human leftovers would be with random globs of circular, green orbs slapped on them. Goblets of multi-colored liquid was presented to them, but luckily, among the drinks were water that they gladly accepted when placed down next to them. Kid Flash picked up one of the huge forks that was the length of his arm and experimentally stabbed it at some food with eyeballs. It screamed and killed over, making Kid Flash yelp and drop the fork.

"…This is disturbing," Jinx murmured.

The guards, Galfore and Wildfire greedily eyed to food along with several royals who came in for their shared meal. All at once, they attacked the table and fought for the food. Needless to say, Titans South was in shock until Galfore shouted to them that if they did not fight, they would not eat.

"…This is the craziest planet ever," Kole muttered.

"I enjoy this place!" Lightning cheered and dived onto the table, electrocuting a random guard.

"This is awesome!" Kid Flash shouted and kicked someone in the face and snatched what looked like a purple chicken wing.

Being forced to fight for sustenance, the other members meekly rushed onto the table. Kole, being the smallest, was instantly swatted off the table by a royal's mighty fist. She grunted, landing a few feet away from the wall. However, Wildfire hopped off and offered her what Kid Flash grabbed.

"Aw, thanks," she sweetly stated.

"No problem!" Wildfire gushed, hugging her. "I like you!"

Giggling, she ruffled his hair. "And I like you, too, Wildfire."

Noticing the state of affairs, Lightning chucked on of the cups at Wildfire, hitting him in the back of head. Yelping, Wildfire turned and glared at Lightning. Sticking his tongue out in retaliation for Wildfire's previous actions, Lightning sneered and dove back into the brawl.

"Relax," Kole urged, placing a hand on Wildfire's shoulder. "Lightning's just really protective of his friends."

_He seems very overly protective of you, _Wildfire thought, nodding with a smile.

Once the battle over food was won, and everyone had at least a piece of food in their stomachs, several royals had been injured when Jinx finally got fed up and executed multiple hexes. Thunder held his throbbing cheek, grumbling to himself. Catching a glance with Kid Flash who used his super speed to gather as much food as he could, he rolled his eyes when the speedster prodded his food with his enormous fork. Argent groaned, muttering obscenities as Lightning laughed.

"Most amusing!" he chuckled.

"Lightning has much spirit! I agree!" Galfore consented, smiling mirthfully. He sat down, chewing a large bite of what looked like an octopus leg. "However, I am afraid that our festivities must take a grim turn."

"Yes, the H'san Natall could attack you again for housing us," Thunder forlornly stated.

"But that was when we were unprepared and fighting our now-winning war with the Gordanians. We have prepped our forces to battle these villains," Galfore informed, "as we will do for your ships to give you the proper artillery."

"Thank you for you assistance, emperor. We're very grateful," Argent calmly replied, smiling.

"We are glad to help. Though, I do worry about you three H'san Natall hybrids."

"Why? It's not like they're going to become evil all of a sudden," Jinx quipped. "Thunder's about as evil as a newborn puppy."

"When I looked into the one called Hot Spot's eyes, they were pure black like the night sky. It was as though something was controlling him," Galfore explained. "There was no emotion present but malice and the urge to destroy."

"Then they probably are," Kid Flash agreed as he stabbed one of the moving octopus legs with his fork, effectively stabilizing it. "I know Hot Spot and Risk, and they're good guys. They'd never do anything like attack this planet or something so bad in their lives."

Galfore nodded. "I can understand where you are coming from, but that does not help them. They may have been your allies in the past, but currently, they are your enemies."

"We will get them back," Thunder vowed. "By retrieving their sense, we will be able to gain the upper hand, yes?"

"You have a point, but there's also the army, and they're ruthless," Argent informed, crossing her arms. "Back on that world, we almost lost Hot Spot when…" She trailed off, shuddering and glanced down to her feet. She looked back up when Thunder placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled at his sympathetic gaze.

"You know firsthand of their terror. Were you on that world?" Galfore questioned, taking a quick sip from his goblet.

"Yes, silver wretch, I am certain we would all like to know of your adventures," Lightning added obstinately, crossing his legs.

Argent bit her lip, looking down. "…It isn't really simple to say-"

"Emperor!" a guard shouted in their home tongue, running inside. Kneeling before Galfore, she added, "They're back!"

"What?" Galfore shrieked, rushing to his feet.

"The H'san Natall is back," Wildfire translated when Kole asked what they said. "Guard, who is here?"

"The hybrids," she reported. "They are here for them." She pointed to the brothers and Argent with a sharp finger.

"I'm gonna guess that we're in for a fight," Kid Flash joked, leaping to his feet and took a bite of the octopus leg. Suddenly, his lips pursed, and he spat it out back. The leg promptly moved back over to the full body of the octopus.

"…That was…different," Jinx murmured in dull surprise.

"Round up the guards!" Galfore commanded. "We will show no mercy!"

The guards instantly charged out, and Galfore removed a broad, gaudy sword from his belt. The Titans approached a window, peering out to find a four flying figures coming towards the castle at ludicrous speeds. In an instant was Prysm, blasting through the window with an energy beam. Behind her flew in Hot Spot, carrying Risk and a new character the Titans had never met.

The new one was extremely muscular, but his eyes were pure white with a silver body. Along his body was large amounts of hair, but they could see that he was fair in skin color. Like Beast Boy, his ears were elfish, but sharp like daggers. His hair also accounted for his chin, leaving a scraggy, messy short beard along with long sideburns and long hair in general. The beast's hands were claws like a bear's, but the nails were like fresh knives. His teeth were like a vampire for every tooth. The creature's uniform was a purple spandex shirt that exposed his bulging muscles and black pants that cuffed into black boots.

"It's a reunion for all the H'san Natall and human hybrids," Prysm slowly cooed. "You remember Fringe, don't you, Antonia?"

"Hey, that's the guy that knocked me out," Kid Flash growled.

"Nice to see you, too, Argent. It's been a while," Fringe greeted, bit it sounded more like a snarl due to his gruff voice.

"Fringe, you look the same," Argent whispered in shock.

"What is that monster? A being like us?" Lightning asked in surprise.

"That's Fringe, and he's another hybrid," Argent explained, looking over to Hot Spot and Risk. "Boys, what are you doing? We fight against them, not with!"

Hot Spot and Risk did not reply. Instead, they kept their fiery glowers onto the Titans, and Hot Spot, in his powered up form, shot forward and unleashed torrent of flames. However, Lightning quickly countered with an electrical blast and left them in a stalemate. Lightning grunted, pressing forward and transmuted his lower half into electricity, forcing them into a battle in the sky.

"Brother, do not fight them! He is our friend!" Thunder entreated.

"He is a comrade that is now attempting to annihilate us!" Lightning spat back, pressing forward and zapped Hot Spot into the ground.

Risk, dropping in from Prysm's hand, slammed his fists into the ground with a roar. The ground spiked up like stalagmites, tripping them up. Fringe snatched up one of the stalagmites and chucked it like a torpedo. Jinx flicked his wrist, casting a hex that cut the incoming missile in half.

"Argent, it looks like they're not listening to reason," Jinx quipped, casting another hex, but Risk dashed out of the way.

Risk attempted to uppercut Kid Flash, but he immediately rushed to Risk's back. Catching his arms, he twisted them backwards and smirked. However, Risk growled, easily breaking Kid Flash's grip and grasped his face, plunging him towards the ground. Grunting on the impact, Kid Flash vibrated himself, burning Risk and forced him to leap away.

"How's that for a burn?" he sneered, watching Risk frantically blow on his hands.

Fringe slammed his fist down over Thunder's hand, but the blue elemental easily caught it and charged up. However, Fringe suddenly dug his claws into Thunder's skin, breaking it. Crying out, Thunder weakened his grip and barely had time to react when Fringe nearly slashed his face in half. Thunder hesitated in battling him as he knew that were of the same kin. Somehow, as Argent and Galfore deducted, he was the puppet and someone was pulling his strings. It would in dishonorable to fight such an opponent. Veering back nervously, Thunder gasped as Galfore suddenly snatched Fringe by his silver hair and whipped him across the room.

"Do not be deceived! As of now, they are our enemies!" Galfore barked shortly before darting at Fringe.

Thunder hesitated, surveying the battle in wonder. Jinx and Kid Flash were double-teaming Risk who seemed to be doing pretty well on his own. His brother and Hot Spot were having a duel in the sky, and Lightning was overpowering him, sending him crashing into the window with a quick zap. Galfore had Fringe in a headlock, and the beast seemed to be struggling. Hot Spot dashed down past Lightning and towards Kole, but she crystallized herself just as the fire seared her body. Turning back to flesh, she shouted at Lightning to shoot her.

"You are mad!" Lightning barked, flying behind her as she aimed her hands to Hot Spot.

"Trust me! It'll work!" Kole cried.

Hesitating, Lightning shook his head and fired. She crystallized herself, and the blast was absorbed by her and shoot back with the twice the force. The electrical blast rocketed Hot Spot to be embedded into the wall. He groaned, powering down and landed face first into the ground.

Kole smirked at Lightning, placing a confident hand on her hip as he balked. "We're all mad here, Lightning."

Thunder's gaze was captivated by Argent who seemed lethargic in her movements against Prysm. Thunder remained still as the guards charged past him, shooting their weapons at the enemy hybrids. Argent appeared to be in pain, fighting against the one she called "ally" and "friend". Thunder bit the inside of his mouth, remembering his battle against his dear brother on the day they met and versed the Titans.

"We don't have to do this, Prysm," Argent warned, hovering in the air.

"You are correct, but my father-"

"Forget him!" Argent barked, cutting Prysm off. "Just because you think that by making us evil will make him praise you is right, you're crazy!"

"That is not the reason! I am doing what is right for our home," Prysm argued.

"That's your world, not mine."

Prysm narrowed his eyes down, and her body became a red tint, exposing her sudden anger. "So be it then."

She shot forth a red beam, but Argent quickly countered by creating her massive plasma hands to block it. The New Zealander pressed forward, shoving off her blast and snatched her up in a death grip, bringing her close.

"We don't have to fight. I don't want to," Argent growled in a pleading tone.

"Only if you join will we ever stop bantering," Prysm replied blatantly.

The guards fired at the hybrids in striking unison. Prysm called off the attack, and Risk bounced to his feet but not before landing a solid punch to Lightning's jaw. Lightning grunted, landing cheek-first onto the ground. Risk hovered over him with a fist, but Wildfire, of all people, rushed up and slammed his fist into Risk's stomach. Risk gagged, eyes bulging from his skull and doubled over. Hot Spot flew over and snatched him up, flying into the distance as the guards continued firing.

Breaking free of Argent's grip, Prysm socked her straight on the temple, forcing her back. Fringe raised his hand, and Prysm gripped his claw, flying out after her comrades. Argent slunk to the ground, grumbling and rubbed her stricken temple. The four became mere dots in the sunset colored sky.

"Man, what's with those guys? Hot Spot and Risk were like zombies," Jinx snapped in a disgusted tone, shuddering.

Wildfire offered his hand to Lightning who was still sprawled on the ground. Awkwardly grasping his hand, Lightning pushed himself to stand with Wildfire's help. He stared at the young prince for a few moments before bowing with his arms towards him.

"Thank you for your assistance," he gratefully stated.

"No problem! I'm the future leader of Tamaran so I got to help my people, and that includes guests," Wildfire cooed, smiling. He looked over to Kole, grinning even wider. "Maybe she can be my queen."

"Pardon?" Lightning quirked an eyebrow, placing his knuckles to his hips.

"She is pretty, and she can crystallize herself and absorb attack beams to shoot them with more power. She is incredible!" Wildfire swooned until Lightning slapped him over the head and walked towards Thunder.

"Brother, are you fine?" Thunder asked as Lightning nodded. "Why did you slap the prince?"

"He is annoying. I will leave it at that," his brother spat, crossing his arms.

Kole noticed a sliver of misplaced glass on the floor. It was different from the stained glass on the wall, having a clear color with black words written on it. Ushering her friends over, she handed the glass to Argent and stated she couldn't read it.

"It says that we've been invited to have dinner with King Ch'ah," Argent translated. "It also states that it will be cordial and that secrets will be revealed."

"It must be a trap," Jinx deducted, crossing her arms. "After fighting them and then being asked to go to dinner with them is just too suspicious."

"Lightning is in agreement," the yellow elemental added, nodding his head.

"We still must go to them," Thunder interjected, frowning.

"Maybe this dinner will be a good way to infiltrate them. Gather their trust and strike when they're thinking we're on their side," Kid Flash reasoned.

"We still have to go," Argent mused. "Dinner or not, we still have to take them down. I say we just go to that planet, and take them down."

"Then we'll do that," Kole acquiesced with a nod.

"You are leaving so soon?" Galfore questioned, coming over with Wildfire.

"Yes, we have been invited to the H'san Natall's world," Jinx informed, pointing to the glass in Argent's grasp.

"And you said that your comrades were not acting like themselves earlier," Wildfire added.

Lightning nodded. "We believe that this mad king has poisoned their minds."

"Unfortunately, that deduction is correct. Starfire previously gave me a database on every single person who is a Titan or ally, an Honorary Titan. All four showed up on my computer, but I noticed one particular detail that all four wore." Galfore pointed to his neck. "Each one wore what seemed to be a black collar like the type you would place on a pet."

"So, they are being controlled," Argent murmured sorrowfully. It was the last thing she ever wanted to come to terms with. They were her friends, the ones that accepted her first after gaining her silver skin. "I just hope it isn't too late to save 'em…"

Thunder placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling comfortingly. "We will free them from the mad king's control, Argent. We will succeed."

"That's right. If we don't, Robin will have our butts for failing," Kid Flash chuckled, crossing his arms.

"We have modified your ship with better technology to battle the H'san Natall," Galfore informed, guiding them back down the halls towards the ship. Once they arrived, he tapped the side, and one Tamaranean technician popped out, leaving. "We have outfitted your sensors to pick up ships and creatures from a longer distance and range. Also, your weapons have more firepower."

"Don't get trigger-happy," Kole warned, pointing to Lightning. 

Lightning snorted indignantly, glaring down to her. "Do not fly us into a moon."

Wildfire suddenly embraced Kole, and she realized that he was the exact same height as her. "I will miss you the most, Kole! You will always be my favorite out of this group!" His pearl white teeth gleamed as he smiled up to her, emerald orbs glimmering brightly.

"Aw, Wildfire, I'm gonna miss you. You're so nice," Kole replied, blushing slightly.

"Yellow man, are you envious? The way you are glaring at me is most…scary," Wildfire meekly asked.

Lightning's eyes were daggers, stabbing into the prince. His fists charged up with electricity as he hysterically barked with laughter. "Envious? Why-why would Lightning be envious? You are an orange diminutive rodent, and I-!"

It was at that moment that several guards surrounded Lightning with their weapons raised. Breaking off with a snarl, he crossed his arms and looked away towards Thunder for assistance.

"My brother does not mean what he says about your fine prince. He is merely…spouting nonsense," Thunder urged.

"Like usual," Jinx muttered.

"Oh, it is fine. I know that I am a better choice for Kole anyway!" Wildfire jeered.

"Sorry, Wildfire, I'm not really looking for a relationship right now," Kole quickly replied, smiling quirkily.

Deflating slightly, Wildfire sighed. "Well, I suppose that is fine. I was not expecting anything like that, but it is okay. I hope you people do not get slaughtered when fighting King Ch'ah. Have fun getting your heads devoured!"

"…Wow, that boosts my spirits," Jinx sardonically mused as Wildfire flew off.

Galfore chuckled. "My little bumgorf means he wishes to give you all the best of luck. May X'hal bless you on your journey."

"Who's that?" Kid Flash asked, blinking. "Is he or she some sort of Tamaran god?"

"She is the goddess that we Tamaraneans worship. She will protect you, fear not," Galfore informed, smiling. He shook Argent's hand and then to Thunder and Lightning respectively. Walking out of the room, he glanced back over his shoulder to stare at them as Thunder helped Lightning get inside their compartment. Smiling gently, he closed his blind eye and quietly followed Wildfire back to his throne room.

…

"…Aren't we supposed to talk to Robin?"

Everyone gave a horrified glance over to Kid Flash who had his head propped against the dome. Argent slapped herself in the forehead, cursing. They were back into space about an hour after leaving Tamaran. They were given food and housing supplies also as Kole was busy nibbling on what looked like a granola bar, and Lightning had a blanket around his lithe frame.

"I do not wish to speak with the garish one," Lightning scowled.

"Me either," Jinx added.

Thunder raised his hand. "I feel the same."

"I'm out," Kid Flash stated, shaking his head. "I don't want to deal with his nagging."

Argent pleadingly looked to Kole. She even scrunched her eyebrows together and stiffed up her lower lip.

"You're the leader. I shouldn't be responsible," the bubblegum-haired girl replied. Bluntly.

"That's so cold! Fine! I'll talk to him. If he even thinks about yelling at us, I'll kill him once we go back," Argent grumbled, pressing a few buttons.

Robin's face popped up, and he immediately asked, "What's going on?"

"Simmer down. We just left Tamaran for some sleep and refreshments. We're on our way to the H'san Natall's world for a dinner," Argent explained.

Robin blinked behind his mask, duly surprised. "A dinner? Aren't these guys a murderous alien race, and they want to invite you to dinner?"

From the background, Beast Boy shouted, "They're cannibals! They're gonna eat you!"

"Beast Boy!" Robin snapped as the changeling turned into a rabbit and hopped off. "Anyway, you know this is a trap right?"

She nodded. "We're not stupid, Robin. Even lightning rod figured it out."

Lightning snarled up to her, but decided to punish her secretly later.

"Are you prepared?" Robin questioned. "I don't want anything to happen to you guys."

"We'll be fine, Robin. Galfore gave us supplies that amped up our ship to fight them," Kole informed.

"Who did what to my baby?" Cyborg screamed from a distance.

"Uh oh, Cyborg's acting up again." Robin turned back to them, placing a hand on his off switch of his communicator. "I'll call you back later. Robin, out."

Argent shut the screen off, sighing. "At least he wasn't yelling this time."

"The last time we went on a mission underwater to stop that Trident guy, he flipped out because he thought Jinx caused some oil spill due to her hexes," Kole recalled.

"It wasn't me! Blame the government!" Jinx cried. "Besides, that was in America!"

"And Robin practically had a heart attack with Thunder and Lightning caused that school to catch fire," Kid Flash added.

"It was not our fault Mad Mod decided to trick an entire high school into being British slaves! We had to destroy it to halt the spinning screens!" Lightning defended as Thunder nodded. "The silver wretch was probably an accomplice though. After all, they both are British, and, therefore, must be related."

"Lightning rod, I am gonna kick your butt as soon as we go back home! Stop saying that me and Mod are related!" Argent barked.

"Come, silver wretch! Battle me now!"

Thunder pulled Lightning back into his side as they avoided a collision with an asteroid. A long period of stunned silence passed. Jinx suddenly whistled, pointing off into the distance.

"What is that?" she asked.

"…Oh, my stars…" Kole murmured.

…

Cliffhanger~

Please review!


	5. Apologizing

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

"What are those monsters?" Thunder demanded in shock.

Multiple dark green creatures adorned in gold-plated armor surrounded their ship. Their eyes were blood red, and their enormous lips were strewn in a perpetual frown. They held rods that matched their armor, but red energy sparks rippled out on top. They snarled, seeming to be a mix of primate and lizard. Lightning took notice of the black wings that kept them in flight.

"You just left Tamaran, our enemy's home planet," one hissed. "Come with us."

"Who are you?" Argent snapped, pressing a button to project her voice out to them.

"We are the Gordanians, a superior race then you humans or Tamaraneans," the same one replied. "I am Lord Trogaar, the leader of the Gordanians. What are you?"

Argent hesitated, remembering what she had learned from Starfire on them. They were a vindictive alien race that Starfire was sold over to in order to become a slave. Clearing her throat, Argent straightened herself to appear more threatening.

"What are you? Mutated lizards?" Kid Flash joked.

"I recognize this face, sir," one Gordanian interjected in realization. "He's one of the Teen Titans."

Trogaar's head snapped from one Titan to the next before locking eyes with Kid Flash. "Titans, hm? Then you know Koriand'r."

"What do you want with Starfire?" Kole asked harshly.

"We were to take the princess back to our planet to be a prize to the Citadel, but she allied herself with some humans and defeated us," Trogaar explained. He looked them over, humming in thought. "You're friends Koriand'r's?"

"We are, but what do you desire?" Thunder demanded.

"After our humiliating defeat the five juvenile heroes, the Gordanians' reputation has been ruined," a Gordanian growled.

"Yes! We no longer receive jobs on transporting slaves!" another shouted, and their voices rose in bloody fury.

"The Tamaraneans and we have engaged in a war that we are losing!" 

"But we were hired by King Ch'ah for a simple mission!"

"Get the last of the H'san Natall hybrids," Trogaar finished. "Get them!"

"Oh, awesome! Now we're fighting mutated alligators!" Jinx snapped as Argent instantly kicked the ship into reverse, dashing off.

"Why are we fleeing? We must defeat these cretins before they attack us from behind like cowards!" Lightning barked as Kole looked down to him.

"We're humans, Zap! We can't breathe in space!" Kole shouted.

"Then let us blast them!" Lightning argued.

"Too risky!" Argent retorted.

"How so?"

"Because, well, when it comes to blasting stuff, you two get trigger-happy and could kill us all," Kid Flash replied. "No offense."

Thunder and Lightning frowned, narrowing their eyes on him, but said nothing as Argent expertly swerved the ship away from an energy blast from the Gordanians' weapons. A few landed on Kid Flash and Jinx' side, poising their weapons the strike. Jinx slammed on a button, bringing out a small laser and fired. The Gordanians yelped, almost dropping their weapons and fell backwards. Kid Flash rubbed her shoulder, smiling broadly.

"Nice one. You just saved our butts," he jeered, winking flirtatiously.

"Well, either we get our butts blasted off or I save us," Jinx replied, blushing slightly.

"Don't let them escape! Get them!" Trogaar roared.

"Not today, lizard-brain!"

A bright green ball slammed into Trogaar's stomach, shoving him backwards. Dropping his rod, Trogaar screamed, "Who dares to attack Trogaar?"

"I dare!" From the top of Argent and Kole's pod stood Wildfire, hands on his hips and smirked victoriously. Kneeling down to Kole, his grin spread like water rippling and waved.

"Wildfire! I had no idea you were here! What about Galfore?" Kole questioned, smiling warmly.

"I could not possible allow you to just fly away! I had to come to protect the girl I love!" Wildfire proclaimed, chuckling.

A red energy beam slammed into Wildfire, throwing him next to Jinx' side of the craft. He frowned directly over to Lightning who "accidentally" pressed a laser button. Shrugging, he yawned and lazily apologized.

"Okay, lightning rod, you seriously need to stop with this jealousy business," Argent scolded.

"I am not envious of a child," Lightning growled, crossing his arms.

"Hey, Wildfire, where can we go to shake these guys?" Kid Flash asked as Wildfire recovered, rubbing his head.

Wildfire nodded, telling them to follow him. Argent rammed on the throttle, tossing the ship into a faster gear as the Gordanians began blasting after them again. Noticing their advancement, Argent shouted down to her friends to start firing. Thunder and Lightning exchanged wicked grins and began pressing buttons at random. A massive laser came out from beneath them along with two controllers. It split into two smaller ones like a fighter pilot's. Gripping the controllers, Thunder and Lightning smirked once more to each other and pressed the top red button. Multiple energy shots were fired, crashing into the Gordanians and hurtling them backwards. Kid Flash and Jinx joined in the amusement, blasting away, and the former commented that it was just like an alien shooter.

Trogaar lunged over the ship, and Wildfire yelped, dashing out of the way. However, Tamaran's prince was not his goal. Trogaar grasped the dome that protected Argent and Kole, smirking. Heaving the ship upwards, he laughed as the Titans were jostled around inside. The Gordanians surrounded the ship, and three held some sort of restraining chambers to keep the hybrids alive. As for the earthlings, if the domes broke, it would be all over.

"Leave them alone, Trogaar!" Wildfire barked, raising his fists.

"And what can you do, child? Run to Koriand'r or Komand'r or that old, blind, bumbling foolish, oaf that runs Tamaran?" Trogaar quipped, smirking.

Wildfire grunted and dashed forward, slamming his fists into Trogaar's back. Trogaar gasped, throwing the ship over his head, and Kole and Argent grasped the throttle, keeping the ship straight. Kole placed his hands on the dome, shouting down to Wildfire as he boldly fought off the Gordanians.

"Go to planet Cironell! It's huge and pink and purple! I will meet you there!" Wildfire commanded. "It is near!"

"We cannot leave you behind!" Thunder barked.

Wildfire slammed another emerald beam into one of the restraining chamber, destroying it. "Quickly!"

"We have to help him!" Kole cried. "He can't take so many of them at once!"

"We don't have a choice. He's letting us get away," Jinx argued.

"I'm sorry, Kole. It's our only shot," Argent murmured, kicking the ship into high-gear.

"Wildfire!" she wailed, looking back as the ship rocketed forward. As they dashed farther and farther away, Kole breathed unevenly and her nails dug into her flesh, sniffling.

"Kole?" Lightning asked, looking up to her in concern. "Will you be fine?"

"Fine? Fine! We just left Wildfire to be killed by those alien alligators, and you're asking me if I'm 'fine'!" Kole furiously barked, shocking Lightning. "What if he doesn't make it, huh? What will Starfire and Galfore do? Besides, Zap, you dolt, you shot him when he was trying to protect us! What's wrong with you?" 

"Kole, calm down," Argent commanded, squeezing the rose-haired girl's shoulders tightly. "This is Starfire's brother we're talking about. If she can handle them, he can."

"But Starfire was with the Titans with it happened! Not all by herself!"

"Yeah, but she escaped after fighting a few of them off, and that was before she met Robin and the others," Kid Flash commented.

Kole slumped in her seat, sighing loudly. "I just hope he'll be okay."

Lightning looked behind into the blackness. Guilt rose up in his stomach for harming the brave Tamaranean. It was another sort of envy Lightning recently felt when Wildfire first mentioned he was Kole's first kiss. Lightning thought it was a cruel trick, to kiss Kole in order to learn their language. Why couldn't Wildfire had kissed Argent or Jinx? Well, Kid Flash would probably throw him into a volcano if it had been Jinx.

Thunder placed a hand onto his shoulder, asking, _Brother?_

_I feel so troubled, brother. Now that I have harmed Wildfire, Kole seems to despise me, _Lightning admitted, pouting and stared somberly to the floor.

_Apologizing would clear the deed up, _Thunder suggested, perking his brother up with mixed emotions.

_Apologize to her? Yet, brother, the orange fiend has kissed her! Yes, it would make our relationship whole again, but I cannot lower myself! _With that, Lightning huffed and turned away, crossing his arms.

Thunder sighed, shaking his head humorously. His prideful brother hated stating his faults. It made him feel weak as though he was villain. Thunder chuckled lowly, wrapping his arm across Lightning, and the yellow elemental leaned into his broad shoulder.

_Would apologizing truly heal us? _Lightning questioned.

_Yes for it is the right objection to take,_ Thunder nobly lectured, nodding.

Lightning took in a breath and exhaled deeply. Turning to Kole, he gulped as the blue-eyed girl refused to even look at him. "Uh, crystal wit-"

Kole's eyes narrowed onto Lightning, glaring absolute, rueful death into the cringing, alabaster Titan. If it was possible, her look could have killed him. Turning to Argent, she whispered something into her ear and continued to gaze forward.

"Uh, Kole says to Lightning that if you call her that again, she'll rip your head off," Argent reported nervously as Kole snorted.

Lightning shrank in his seat, grumbling, "Magnificent. She hates me."

"She does not detest you, my brother. Kole is simply concerned over Wildfire's welfare. She would be feeling the same way for you if you were in his situation," Thunder offered, taking Lightning's hand.

"Perhaps," Lightning mused, but his heart was no longer in it.

"Hey!" Kid Flash shouted, pointing ahead. "I think that's Ciro-whatever!"

"Cironell, Kid Flash," Jinx corrected.

"Okay, we'll regroup there, and somebody else, not me, is talking to Robin," Argent stated, pulling the ship to slow down.

…

Cironell was filled with lush, dark blue foliage. Most of it was filled with jungles with its inhabitants gathered in small, clustered villages separated by the vast forests. Rivers ran pink along with the rest of the water. Waterfalls were abundant, and Argent piloted the ship near one, parking just beside it as the water flowed into a river. Getting out, they were relieved that there was oxygen, and Kid Flash bounced over to the water and ducked his head inside.

"Whoa! Cold!" he blurted, shivering. "Water's tasty, though. Kinda like sweet lemons."

"Well, boys and girls, let's regroup," Argent ordered with a smile. "Me, Jinx and blue boy will look for any sort of tribe or whatever to get help. Kid Flash, Kole and lightning rod will remain here, and wait for Wildfire."

Lightning winced, glancing down to Kole as she sent a sideways glare to him. Noticing this, Kid Flash ushered the others along and pecked Jinx lightly on the cheek, wishing them a safe "voyage". Turning back to the yellow elemental who was climbing back into the ship, Kid Flash dashed into his seat.

"Hey, what's up with you and Kole?" he asked in concern.

"It does not involve you," Lightning hissed, pulling out his communicator. "Someone needs to speak with the leader boy, yes? I shall do it."

Kid Flash placed a hand on Lightning's communicator, pushing it down. "Seriously, Light! I'm your friend, and I wanna help. You can tell me anything you want."

Lightning was prepared to retort with an insult, but paused and concentrated on one word: friend. He and his brother were almost used to the concept of them even having friends with Lightning having more trouble coming to accepting it. Lightning pursed his lips, sighing through his nose.

"I harmed Wildfire in the midst of battle for stating he only ventured to protect Kole. I suppose it was jealousy that controlled my fingers as I activated one of the lasers to strike him. Now…" Lightning looked away, "…Kole is acting like she no longer welcomes my presence."

"Okay, blasting Wildfire was a stupid move," Kid Flash admitted, ignoring Lightning's indignant snarl. "Though, what I'd say is definitely try to apologize. With a girl like Kole, she's willing to forgive one occasion, but let it happen again, and you're a goner. See, Kole's the type that'll give you a second chance, but not a third. When she doesn't like you after hurting her twice, you're dead in the water."

Lightning reflected on Kid Flash's wise advice. Kid Flash had social experience that Lightning could only dream of obtaining, and he was wiser than people gave him credit for. Smiling gently, he nodded and offered Kid Flash his communicator. Taking it, he smacked Lightning on the back as he leaped down.

"Go get her, Light!" Kid Flash whispered in a hushed voice. Staring at Lightning's communicator, he muttered, "Might as well call Robbie…"

Lightning slowly dragged his feet towards Kole was sat down in front of the water, drinking a small portion of the pink liquid blissfully. Noting his shadow, Kole glanced coldly over to him, demanding to know what he wanted. Lightning asked if he could sit, but Kole declined, turning her head. She rose to walk away, but like his namesake proclaimed, Lightning's arm shot forward and snatched her angrily.

"Ow! Let go!" Kole yelped, breaking free. "What's wrong with you? You attack Wildfire first, and then you go and grab me!"

Kid Flash quickly looked over, finding Lightning to be failing miserably. "Psst! Lightning!"

Lightning turned frantically to his friend, asking in a meek voice, "What now?"

"Apologize, and do it fast!"

"Kid Flash?"

The boy in mention looked back down to find Robin gazing back with stone-cold eyes. "Oh, hey, Robin. Just wanted to let you know that we're on some foreign planet called Cironell after letting Star's brother handle some mutant crocodiles called the Gordanians, and Kole hates Lightning, but I'm trying to hook them back up. Bye." Before Robin could speak, Kid Flash hung up and continued to watch.

"Hear me out!" Lightning snapped entreatingly.

Kole crossed her arms, back faced to him. "Well, what?"

Lightning's mouth opened, but closed like a fish gasping for water. His raised finger drooped like a wilting flower, and Kole glanced back over to him, watching him curiously as he bowed his head. His brow furrowed in a mix of frustration and morbidity, and he sighed loudly. Trying to speak, he stopped when he noticed an emerald glint headed straight for her. Upon further inspection, Lightning gasped as he realized who was coming directly at him.

Trogaar raised his energy rod, propelling a wide beam of crimson at them. "Death to all who oppose me!"

"Move!" Lightning cried, grasping Kole and bolted out of the way.

"Aw, man! What's he doing here?" Kid Flash barked, darting over to Lightning.

"Are you fine?" Lightning asked as he placed Kole to the ground.

"I…think so," Kole replied, bending her legs. "Thanks…but you're not off the hook yet."

Lightning deflated, frowning and turned back to Trogaar. "Where is Wildfire?"

"Right over there." Trogaar pointed behind them, and the three Titans turned and gasped.

A few of the Gordanians restrained Wildfire by clamping his hands and feet in what appeared to be metal wristlocks. Wildfire screamed, cursing them in his native language. He stopped when he saw the Titans, gasping.

"I am sorry! I have lost!" Wildfire bawled, tears coming to his eyes. "I did not mean to lose!"

"It's okay! Don't blame yourself, kid!" Kid Flash urged. "Lightning, let's take 'em down."

"What about me?" Kole asked.

"Remain here. We do not wish for you to be harmed," Lightning requested, transporting his armored lower body into electricity.

Kole frowned, shaking her head. "You mean I haven't shown you my new skill?"

Kid Flash and Lightning stared inquisitively at her, blinking slowly. Kole smirked, raising her hands and flicked her wrists. Like a spider spinning her web, crystal spikes formed in the sky and shot out, stabbing into the Gordanian scum. Kole smirked, watching as they writhed on the ground, massaging their bruises and praying to their god, Zorg, to save them from the witch.

"Little girl, big punch," Kid Flash joked, ruffling her hair.

"Im-impressive," Lightning stammered, stupefied.

"I'm still mad at you," Kole bluntly stated, and Lightning groaned.

Trogaar was fuming. His warriors had just been beaten by a small, human girl. The fact that she was a mere human only enraged him further. Ever since his defeat at the hands of the newly assembled Teen Titans, he was the laughing stock of the galaxy. Even the Troqs, the Tamaraneans, mocked him! It was unthinkable! Seething, Trogaar shot down and grasped Kole in his mighty grasp.

"No!" Lightning shrieked as Kid Flash ran over to Wildfire as he struggled with his metal bonds. "Kid Flash, help the prince! I will rescue Kole!"

"You got it!" Kid Flash agreed as Lightning dashed off, flying after the villainous lord. Placing his hands on Wildfire's metal bonds, he smirked cheekily. "Okay, so I'm gonna rub really fast, and this is gonna get really hot, and it'll melt off. You okay with that?"

Wildfire blinked. "What?"

"Glad you agree!" Kid Flash sneered, vibrating his hands faster than the normal eye could see.

The metal restraints burned a glistening red color, and steam heaved into the air. Like ooze, the metal melted, and Wildfire ripped open. Flexing his wrists, he smiled and thanked Kid Flash. Doing the same for his feet restraints, they both searched for Trogaar, but found no sign of him anywhere.

"Where are the others?" Wildfire asked.

"Somewhere, but we can't wait for them. Lightning needs our help," Kid Flash replied.

…

Lightning followed Trogaar up into the clouds where he stopped. Kole attempted to crystallize herself, but even with the extra weight, Trogaar seemed perfectly capable of flying. Her arms were pinned tightly against her body so she could not use her new skill. Lightning glared at Trogaar, demanding he release her.

"And drop her?" Trogaar chuckled, almost loosening his grip.

"Hand her over to me!" Lightning roared, charging up his fists. "I promised that I shall I protect her no matter the cost!"

Kole stared at the elemental in shock. His eyes burned passionately with the intent of saving her. He truly cared for her, far more than himself at the moment. Kole glanced down, smiling gently, but he could not see.

"I'll give her back…" Trogaar shot forward, swatting Lightning out of the sky. "…not!"

"Ugh! Coward!" Lightning snapped, landing on a lavishly dark pink cloud. "Come then! I will save her! Kole, crystallize yourself, please! I do not wish to harm you!"

Nodding, Kole quickly turned her entire body into crystal.

Lightning unleashed a torrent of his namesake, zapping Trogaar back. However, Trogaar quickly recollected his composure, charging forward with his energy rod. Roaring, he unleashed multiple bolts, but Lightning easily swerved like a snake through the blasts, mocking the alien lord. However, Trogaar was not as foolish as his appearance. Like a sword, Trogaar slashed at Lightning, but the elemental barely ducked and dodged expertly.

"Your moves are sluggish! Your aim is horrendous! You claim to be a warrior, but this is simply pathetic!" Lightning taunted.

"Don't mock me, you arrogant poseur!" Trogaar screeched, and he punched Lightning straight across the maw.

Lightning yelped, falling back to the clouds. Sitting up, Lightning patted the soft exterior, sighing contently as he felt the marvelous build-up of rain. Yet, it seemed like the world had not received a good, cleansing rain to beat down on the world. Lightning smirked, raising his hands and allowed his energy to sear through the clouds.

"What are you doing?" Trogaar demanded.

"Watch," Lightning sneered, and he threw his hands forward, unleashing a massive streak of electricity that stabbed into Trogaar.

Trogaar wailed in agony as the electricity washed over him. His eyes bulged, and he twitched madly like an insane person. Suddenly, he groaned and fell forward, dropping Kole. Before he hit the ground, Trogaar was unconscious.

Turning back into flesh, Kole flailed in the air, really wishing she could fly. She shrieked, clawing out for something, even the cloud, but she fell threw like a rock. She closed her eyes, expecting death to be swift, but she was stopped. Weakly blinking her eyes open, she found Lightning holding her up.

"I am sorry for harming you and the prince. May I be forgiven?" Lightning stated, smiling slightly.

Kole's lips split into a wide grin, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "There! Was that so hard? Oh, and yes, I do forgive you."

Rolling his eyes, Lightning flew back down towards Cironell's surface where they regrouped with Kid Flash and the others. Wildfire instantly flew over to Kole, ripping her out of Lightning's arms and embraced her tightly. Staring down at his empty hands, Lightning gasped and snarled at Wildfire as he swung Kole around blissfully.

"Love Kole! I am so pleased that you are okay!" Wildfire gushed, spinning in the air with her.

"Aw, thanks, Wildfire, I…what did you call me?" she asked, eyes widening.

"Love Kole. It shall be my new name for the fairest, most prettiest girl in the entire universe!" Wildfire joyously explained.

Kid Flash approached Lightning, placing his elbow on his shoulder. "So, you and Kole made up?"

"Indeed we have. Thank you for your advice," Lightning stated, inclining his head slightly.

"Ah, don't worry about it. Ya see…" Kid Flash whipped out a business card, slapping it in Lightning's hand. "…if you ever need help in the romance department, Kid Flash is on the scene."

Lightning read the card, raising both eyebrows incredulously. " 'Wally West: Romance Guide: For those who need help in getting the ladies, love is just a call away'. Huh? Your name is Wally?"

Kid Flash paused, mouth slacking and attempted to snatch the card away from Lightning, but the elemental shoved it down cloth belt. Frowning, Kid Flash muttered he hated him and stalked towards the ship.

"So, this means your true name is Wallace?" Lightning called, a wide, arrogant grin coming to his face.

"Shut up!" Kid Flash barked, elongating his vowels.

"Kole, listen! Kid Flash is called-!"

Kid Flash tackled Lightning into the pink spring, and they both started a brawl right there next to Trogaar's unconscious body. Wildfire and Kole watched as they struggled to drown each other and burst into laughter.

"Oh, where are your friends?" Wildfire questioned.

"Argent said that she'd take Jinx and Thunder and search for any people living on this planet," Kole explained, but noticed that Wildfire's face fell in distraught immediately. "What's wrong?"

"…They're probably dead," Wildfire admitted, looking away.

…

Let's end it on that note with another cliffie~

Please review!


	6. Axis

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

As Lightning, Kid Flash and Kole dealt with their own issues, Argent, Thunder and Jinx had acquired their own problems. On a strange, alien world in general, it was hard to navigate especially when the foliage was alive and trying to eat you. It was also difficult to find a local tribe when they were filled with crystal-like beings of gorgeous men and women, but turned themselves into hideous monsters when devouring others.

It was not a fun time for Jinx who was the one that was almost eaten.

"This is your fault!" Jinx proclaimed, pointing a finger at Argent as they continued to trudge on after rescuing Jinx from the gluttonous aliens.

"How is it my fault, Jinx?" Argent asked in a singsong voice.

"You sent me in there, and they almost ate me! We should have gone in all at once to pose more of a threat," Jinx argued.

"True, but it's better to lose one member than all three," Argent countered.

Thunder blinked, looking back and forth between the quarreling girls. Sighing, he raised his hands between them before they could start any real brawl. "Peace, both of you. We must not fight. We have to find our way back. I do not believe that there is any assistance we can receive on this world."

"Yeah, we'll just stick with the food supplies the Tamaraneans gave us," Argent acquiesced, nodding. "Hopefully, those nimrods back at the ship didn't eat everything."

"Knowing Kid Flash, we're going to be starving," Jinx muttered, shaking her head lowly.

…

"Can you see them, Carom?"

"On sight, boss."

"What about the rest of you? Are you prepared?"

Nodding all around.

The leader sneered, dark purple lips curving upwards. "Surprise them. You will go first. Argent won't know what hit her."

…

The trees rustled, but there was no breeze. Thunder instantly stopped, looking over his shoulder, trying to find an animal or inhabitant of the world. Yet, there was none, and the rustling continued. When he started to step away from Jinx and Argent, his fist charged up into a massive blue ball of energy, and he waited.

…

"The blue one's in tune with nature. He can sense where people are."

"Yes, Blizzard he is, but we have two people here who can use fire and ice, and they won't let us down…will they?"

The people in questioned shivered, but shook their heads.

"Excellent. Carom, go."

…

A rocket of purple flashed by Thunder, making him gasp and falter. Argent and Jinx swerved around, moving out of the way just in time. They followed the violet streak as it bounced off the trees, crashing into them and ricocheting off like a multiple rounds of bullets. Noticing this pattern, Jinx aimed a carefully placed hex into the next tree. The attacker suddenly gasped and continued forward, but crashed into the next one, falling to his side.

"Not bad and a babe, too!" the person jeered, getting to his feet. The entity was a dark purple-skinned alien with elfin ears and bright green eyes. His hair was reddish-brown, and the arrogant smirk he wore irritated the trio. His eyes crossed with Argent who gasped suddenly. "Hey, Argent. What's up?"

"Carom? If you're here, than…" Argent instantly looked up to find a wave of ice come her way, but she blocked the assault with her massive plasma hands.

A massive suit of green armor with a glass dome helmet hovered in the air, stopping his attack. He was taller than Thunder by a few inches, and he was known as Blizzard by other members of the group for his ice powers.

Behind him came another figure, and the new enemy was an ebony haired woman in a low ponytail wearing a red leotard with high boots with a flame design. Like her clothes, her eyes were bright red like fire. She was known as Scorcher II on account of the death of the original.

"Blizzard and Scorcher II, mind if I just call you Scorcher?" Argent sneered as Scorcher knelt on the ground.

"Whatever you say, it doesn't matter. You're going down," Scorcher growled, charging up her fists. "Carom, go!"

"You got it!" Carom sneered, dashing forward.

"He is as fast as Kid Flash!" Thunder shouted, narrowly avoiding him as he dashed straight past him, almost nicking his face.

"Yeah, but he can't control his speed that well," Argent stated, throwing out her plasma hand to snatch him. "Wait…if they're here…"

"Hello, Argent."

She froze, eyes widening and slowly looked over her shoulder. The tallest man they had ever seen lumbered into view. He wore a similar uniform as Adonis, but the armor was made of metal, and his true body was completely muscular, bulging out by a black jumpsuit from his toes to the top of his head, but left his eyes wide open. A mute, he was known as Vault.

"It has been a while since we've seen you."

The true speaker who greeted Argent stepped out from behind Vault. She was blue-skinned woman with dark purple lips. Her hair was snow white, matching her soulless eyes. She wore a full body yellow jumpsuit, but she donned yellow gloves. It shone like metal, and she placed a hand on her hip, waving slowly to Argent.

"Axis…" Argent growled. "What are you and the rest of the Dark Nemesis doing here?"

"'Dark Nemesis'? Argent, who are they?" Jinx asked as they five members of Dark Nemesis surrounded them.

"A bounty hunting group. They were hired by the H'san Natall to get rid of us hybrids two years back when we rebelled," Argent explained.

"Yes, and we would have won if only the original Scorcher hadn't turned on us," Axis drawled.

"You killed her! She was an H'san Natall and human hybrid like me and blue boy, and you murdered her. You blamed everything on Risk, Axis. He loved Scorcher," Argent snarled.

Axis stared at Argent, smiling. "Yes, he did, didn't he? I wondered what his face looked like when he realized it? Though, it was unfortunate that we had to lose her, but I think that any female fire-user would make up for her slack."

"May we eliminate her?" Thunder requested, gritting his teeth. "Listening to her say such horrid things about our friend is truly aggravating."

"I'd like to do the same to you. Dark Nemesis, strike! Separate them!" Axis ordered, throwing her hand up.

Carom dashed out, smirking with his claws extended. He aimed for Jinx, snatching her shoulders and shoved her far into the forest. Jinx yelped, staring at the impeccably fast demon on front of her. Carom slammed her into her a tree far away from the others and licked his lips.

"Never had a human girl before. You ever have somebody as fast as me?" Carom whispered, breathing right into her ear.

Jinx frowned, placing her hands together. A spherical hex formed, and she blasted Carom straight into the ground. Flicking her wrist, flashes of pink slashed the ground around Carom, burying him further into the ground. Jinx hovered over him, smirking. Pointing to the tree, she smirked as his eyes widened.

"You really like bouncing off trees, hm? Well, I don't think nature likes it," she sneered, snapping her fingers.

The tree uprooted itself, falling straight onto Carom. However, she knew it was not going to be enough. She already tried the same technique against Kid Flash when she was the leader of her own team back in her days of villainy, and he came out unscathed minutes later. Deciding to leave him there, she ran back to the battle.

When Jinx arrived, she smirked. At least Argent and Thunder weren't as useless as Private Hive was. Blizzard aimed a blast of frigid ice at that, but Thunder retorted with a beam of his namesake, knocking the clunky lackey into Scorcher. However, the nimble bounty hunter leaped to her feet and shot a spear of fire at him. Thunder smirked, summoning his cloud and flew away. Argent followed him, dodging an electrical sphere from Vault.

"What can he do?" Thunder questioned, pointing to Vault.

"If he traps you in his spheres, it forms a cage around you, and you're unable to use your powers," Argent informed.

"And the blue one?"

Argent bit her lower lip, glaring down at Axis who hadn't moved from her spot. "She's evil to the core, a master manipulator. She'll toy with you, get inside your head and finish you. Don't let her psych you out, blue boy. She knows everything about you at a glance. That's her power." She looked up from Axis who patted Vault's arm. "That's how she killed Scorcher. Not her, but the first one, the original H'san Natall and human hybrid. Ya see, she and Blizzard grew up in an orphanage on our planet, but Axis saw their potential and took them in after killing everyone there. We could have saved Scorcher, but it was too late…" Argent looked away, sighing morbidly. "Scorcher could've been one of us."

"It was not your fault," Thunder stated quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I know, but it's Risk who blames himself for losing her. They had a mental link somehow. They felt each other's powers, their very being." Argent rolled her shoulders back, realizing she was hunched over and sighed. "Axis ruined them."

"We will defeat her. She will pay dearly," Thunder vowed, glaring down over to Axis who caught eyes with Jinx.

"She can sense emotional weakness," Argent explained. "That's her power."

"You are correct, Argent, but I have another talent I recently acquired. Finish them while I deal with the pink-haired witch," Axis commanded.

Vault nodded, leaping high into the air and snatched Thunder by his shoulders. Thunder cringed, humbled by Vault's jumping abilities as he was suddenly slammed into the ground. Thunder reeled his head back, slamming it into Vault's and was able to recover on his cloud. Vault shook his throbbing forehead, refocusing himself.

"Why do you follow her?" Thunder questioned.

Vault remained silent, narrowing his eyes on Thunder. He raised his arm, and bright gray lines started forming around Thunder like a prison. However, the elemental heaved his cloud up in time before it could constrict around him. Realizing that it was all Vault was trying to do, Thunder smirked.

"Your power is to trap me within vines of energy? Well, it will not occur," Thunder sneered.

Vault frowned behind his black cloth. The blue one spoke strangely, and it annoyed him. It was like he was from some off-worldly village. Vault slapped his hands together, forming another vine and threw it towards Thunder, but the elemental swerved once more, but Vault smirked. He wasn't aiming for him.

The vine snatched around Thunder's cloud, and it suddenly vanished underneath Thunder's feet. Thunder gasped, crashing into the ground. Groaning, he rubbed his head and weakly craned a look over his neck to find Vault trapping his favored cloud in a gray energy prison.

"How can you-?" Thunder sputtered.

"Vault can create prisons out of his energy, and it stops a person from using his techniques. Say farewell to your cloud. As long as it is in here, you won't be able to summon it," Axis sneered. Patting Vault's shoulder, she cooed, "Good boy."

Vault beamed, nodding, but was suddenly rammed in the mouth by Thunder. He was taken back and shot his elbow out to hit Thunder, but the blue Titan was already prepared. He snatched his elbow and grunted, turning quickly and chucked him into a tree,

Blizzard dashed over to Argent, aiming a blast of cold air towards her. However, Argent simply flew out of the way, and she slammed her boot on his dome. It cracked open, and she created a sword out of her plasma. Shrieking, she sliced straight through is armor and watched as he balked and fell over, unconscious and in shock.

"You were never as good as the original, Scorcher. Don't even try," Argent warned as Scorcher approached her.

"Doesn't matter. I'm Scorcher II! Better than the original!" she screamed, creating a tornado of flames over her head.

"She'll set the entire forest on fire!" Jinx cried, but suddenly stopped when Axis stepped into her view. "You're Axis, right? The leader of this little bounty hunting squad?"

"I am, and you are…oh, how interesting…" Axis drawled, connecting her stark white eyes with Jinx' pinks ones. They glowed vibrantly, and Jinx suddenly felt a chill run straight through her spine. "…What a past you have. All those horrid memories. Tell me, how did you feel when you killed every single person in that temple? Or was it not as painful as when your mother and father abandoned you with them?"

Jinx froze, shoulders slacking. Her mouth trembled, and she breathed unevenly. "How…how could you know that?"

"I'm the Psi Queen, honey. I can sense emotional weakness, and I learned of a new power. I lock eyes with my victim, and I can see their worst memories," Axis informed, pointing to her eyes. "Now, about those monks who raised you, gave you a home. They never liked you, Jinx. They, like your own parents, thought you were bad luck. You are, after all. Look at what you did to Wallace West. You really harmed him when you wanted to be just like Madame Rouge. He cared for you back than, and Madame Rouge saw you as dirt. You are dirt, a stepping stone for me to crush."

"Shut up! Just shut up!" Jinx shouted, eyes flaring pink.

Behind her, multiple trees uprooted themselves, crashing down near the combatants. Thunder winced, narrowly avoiding one as Vault snatched one and chucked it at him. Thunder ducked, but Vault was faster. He slammed his knee into Thunder's stomach and smirked. Grunting in pain, Thunder formed a blue ball in his hands and unleashed his power, shoving Vault into Blizzard's unconscious form. Argent heaved trees away with her plasma hands, watching in amusement as one fell on Scorcher.

"Thunder, what the heck is going on?" she demanded.

"It is Jinx," he solemnly replied. "She has lost control."

"You don't know me!" Jinx screamed, charging at Axis. "You don't know anything about me!"

"Jinx! Don't let her psyche you out! This is a mind game, and she's winning! Don't let her in!" Argent shouted.

"I don't care!" Jinx retorted, slamming her hands on the ground. Several more trees uprooted themselves, slamming down around an unmoving, smirking Axis. "She'll pay! Nobody insults me!"

"Than what of Madame Rouge? She saw you as worthless," Axis questioned jovially.

"I finished her off! I'm better! I'm Jinx, blast it!" she shrieked, aiming a high kick for Axis' head.

Axis simply ducked, snatching her ankle and slammed Jinx into the ground. Raising her own fist, she punched Jinx directly on the throat. Jinx gagged, eyes bulging as she suddenly passed out. Snickering at Jinx' limp form, she picked her up and swatted her towards Thunder.

"Jinx," Thunder meekly cried, holding her in his arms once he caught her.

"Axis!" Argent roared, charging at her.

"And you! Little Antonia Monetti! What about all those people you slaughtered, hm? What about that?" Axis sneered. "All their moans, screams and deaths at your hand. They died because of you, remember? You can never forget it!"

Argent froze in mid-air. Everything rushed back at her like a horrific wave smashing down on her and keeping her pinned at the bottom of the ocean floor. Their screams, horrified and furious, rose up and ruptured her thoughts. The explosion, like a thousand blasts of gunfire, was the herald that ended the carnage, but haunted Argent ever since that fateful day two years ago. She covered her ears, dropping to her knees and clenched her eyes shut.

"Make it stop…" Argent whimpered. "Make the screaming stop…"

Thunder stepped in front of Axis when she started sauntering towards Argent. Axis blinked, surprised at his appearance and caught eyes with him. She saw all of his painful memories: Chan's death, being exiled and chased out of his village, the last embrace with his mother when he was eight, fighting his brother in the midst of Fire's conquest. Axis smirked. This would be easy.

"How did you feel when you were kicked out of your village? Nobody wanted you because you were a freak," Axis snickered.

Thunder rolled his eyes. "Yes, but I have gotten over that incident. I am healed from it. My brother and I earned the respect of our village. There is no need to further dwell on it."

Axis blinked, surprised at his response. "Well, what about when your own dear brother tried to murder you because you disagreed with him?"

"My brother and I argue seldomly, but we forgive each other because we know that petty arguments cannot break us," Thunder snarled. "You cannot break me."

"Then what of Chan To? You sobbed for his death, hurt and forlorn. He left you and your brother, Lightning, to face the world by yourself, and your true blood father, Walter attempted to kill you, and he succeeded!"

"Yes, I am saddened frequently by the honorable Chan To's death, but he was old. His time of passing is unfortunate, but I have seen him on death's dwelling place, and he is fine. Also, my father repented for all of his actions against my brother and I," Thunder explained. Noticing Axis' bewilderment, he smirked. "We cannot change the past, no matter how much we dislike it. All we can do is learn from our mistakes and move forward."

Jinx had woken up during Thunder's noble little speech, drinking in his words. She couldn't bring back the lives she stole at the temple, but she could move, and she did. She became a Teen Titan, a proud member of Titans South and saved lives instead of taking them. Jinx changed, and she was with people who truly appreciated her. Kid Flash made her feel special as if she was a princess. She thought of his laughing face for a few moments and smiled to herself, wiping her wetting eyes.

"He's right," she proclaimed, getting to her feet. "I can't go back, but I can always move forward."

Argent stared up to Thunder, slowly dropping her hands to her knees. She closed her eyes, slowly standing and stepped by him. She looked up to him, and he smiled down gently. A warm smile quietly split across her face, and she hugged his broad arm, making her giggle.

"You're so cute when you blush, blue boy," she gushed, patting his cheek as Thunder reddened.

Axis looked ready to kill someone. Scorcher burned through the tree, and Carom dashed up to them. Vault recovered, but lost his prison surrounding Thunder's cloud. Thunder smirked as his cloud flew back over to him before vanishing by Thunder's wishes. Blizzard was still out cold.

"You can't break us anymore, Axis," Argent hissed. "You might as well give up."

"Never!" Axis screamed. "Kill them!"

"But we were hired to bring them back to King Ch'ah!" Carom argued.

"Shut up, and do it!"

"Her mind is muddled, my friends. Shall we strike?" Thunder asked.

Argent nodded, smirking. "I'll take Axis. I've got a score to settle."

"So long as I got to punch that blue broad in the face, I'm fine," Jinx snarled.

Vault suddenly slapped his hands to the ground, and a gray prison surrounded them. Argent cursed, and Jinx and Thunder attempted to blast free, but gasped. Their powers were not working. Both looked to each other in shock before turning to Argent who placed a hand behind her back.

"I've got you now, you worms," Axis sneered. "Scorcher, burn them alive!"

"If you think we're alone, you're stupid," Argent snickered, revealing her Titans communicator and pressed the signal button.

…

Their communicators rang like an alarm bell for a prison outbreak. Lightning shot to his feet, looking towards the forest in surprise. Kid Flash pulled his out, looking over where their friends were by tracking the signal.

"In the middle of the forest, that's where they are," Kid Flash explained. "Lightning, can you-?"

"I am contacting my brother as we speak," Lightning replied, snatching up Kole in his arms. _What is going on, my brother?_

_Our friends and I are trapped in a prison. We cannot use our powers, and-_ Thunder was cut off by Lightning's snort.

_Say no more, Thunder! We will save you! _Lightning cut him off with a dry smirk. "They are trapped in a prison by villains."

Kid Flash nodded, dashing off in front of the others. Lightning gave Wildfire a questioning look as the prince frowned at Lightning hold up Kole in his arms.

"Why did you previously say our friends could die? Did you know this would happen?" Lightning hissed.

"Zap, stop," Kole whispered.

"I was merely concerned with the people of Cironell. They are known for eating other creatures, including humans," Wildfire warned, crossing his arms.

"Uh, guys? The others?" Kole reminded, but went unheard.

"How do we know that you are not on their side? You could have very well led us into a trap," Lightning snapped.

Wildfire gasped, but narrowed his emerald eyes and pointed over to Trogaar's unconscious form. "But I have assisted in defeating him!"

"Shut up!" Kole shrieked, breaking their petty argument. "We have to go save the others! You two can beat each other up later!"

Lightning and Wildfire growled at each other before nodding and shot off. Lightning swerved in front of Wildfire, smirking until Kole's chuckling cut him off. Looking down at her questionably, he internally groaned when he saw her smiling face.

"You really need to stop this jealousy, Zap," Kole teased.

"Feh, Lightning is not envious, as I said before," Lightning countered.

"Aw, did you know that your eyebrows scrunch up when your mad? It's kinda cute."

Lightning balked at her, surprised she, of all people, would say such a statement. He blushed, quirkily smirking until Wildfire pulled up beside him. He pointed in front of them.

"Tree," he stated simply as Lightning crashed into it.

"Blasted child!" Lightning cursed as he and Kole fell to the ground.

"Because you couldn't warn us sooner," Kole remarked, rubbing her bruised forehead.

"I am sorry, Love Kole, that your beautiful face was injured," Wildfire gushed, offering her his hand.

"Jinx!" Kid Flash shouted, skidding to a stop when he saw his friends' position. Behind him came Lightning and the others who gasped at their predicament. Glaring over to the Dark Nemesis members, he demanded, "Who the heck are you guys?"

"We are Dark Nemesis, a bounty hunting group. We were hired, like those foolish Gordanians, to capture you all and bring you to King Ch'ah," Axis greeted, regaining her composure on account of Kid Flash's horrified expression.

"Lame name," Kid Flash sneered cheekily. "Even Hive Five sounded way more appealing."

"Hey, I wasn't the one who thought of it," Jinx quipped.

"Yeah, I know. After all, Jinx, there were six members of the Hive Five," Kid Flash sniggered.

"Shut up. Now I'm wishing Madame Rouge ate you."

"No, you don't." Kid Flash sang.

Jinx rolled her eyes, shaking her head in disbelief and muttered, "How did I end up liking that idiot?"

"Stop flirting, Kid Flash, and get us out of here," Argent ordered.

"You got it!" Kid Flash jeered, dashing towards Axis, but was slammed into the wall by Carom. "What the-?"

"Think you're the fastest? Think again!" the purple speed demon snorted, bouncing off another tree as Kid Flash fell to the ground.

Kid Flash smirked, leaping to his feet and stood there. "Well, come on! I'm waiting."

Mocking Carom was the only think that made Kid Flash smile at the moment. The infuriation Carom donned was like a red-faced monster's. Carom bounced off the tree at high speeds, but Kid Flash merely sidestepped and watched as Carom wriggled as he was implanted into the ground. Whistling innocently, he wound up his leg and booted Carom deep inside the hole. Kole created a crystal manhole, covering the spot where Carom struggled in and trapped him. Kole and Kid Flash smiled to each other, nodding.

Lightning narrowly avoided a streak of flames from Scorcher, yelping. Wildfire flew into and shot a starbeam at her, hitting her pelvis and thrusting her back. Nodding appreciatively, Lightning gasped as Vault suddenly charged at him and nimbly leaped over him. Vault tripped, falling flat on his face and on Wildfire. Crying out, Wildfire groaned as the mute behemoth struggled to get up. An insane gleam lit up in Lightning's eyes, aiming his fingers at them and unleashed a thick stream of his namesake, electrocuting them both.

The prison surrounding the trapped Titans collapsed into molecules, wafting into the air before vanishing. Powers restored, the trio set their sights on Axis. Dark Nemesis' leader winced, face contorting in terror. The six Titans and Wildfire approached her, but she suddenly took off. Kid Flash darted after her, snatching her waist and brought her back. Before he fully stopped, Jinx slammed her fist into Axis' nose, effectively breaking it and knocking her out.

"Whoa, that was pretty hot," Kid Flash mused as Jinx straightened the sleeves of her jacket.

"She bothered me. Besides, she totally deserved it," Jinx replied.

Argent laughed vibrantly, patting Jinx' shoulder. "You are so right, Jinx! I don't think she's going to be bothering us for a while. Come on, we better get going. Oh, and if Axis got to you, just remember what blue boy said."

Jinx and Argent both looked over to Thunder mischievously who gulped at their gazes. They both latched onto his arms, making him squeak in surprise. Both gazed up to him with large eyes, sparkling like stars.

"Thank you, Thunder," they gushed in unison, and their adorable, but creepy eyes pretty much undressed him.

"…You are welcome," Thunder managed to reply as Argent continued hugging him when Jinx let go. He looked down to her, asking, "Are you…fine?"

"'Course I am. You made me feel better about myself and Jinx." She smiled widely, making Thunder grin back. "You are a such a good person."

"Enough with your piteous attempts at flirtation, silver wretch," Lightning barked, crossing his arms. "We must get going before any of our enemies decide to attack."

"My brother is right," Thunder agreed, nodding. "Wildfire, will you be accompanying us still?"

Wildfire nodded, smiling. "Yes, I shall. I hope not be a burden though, but I will my hardest."

Lightning rolled his eyes when Wildfire blew a kiss to Kole. He crossed his arms and smirked, waving a finger. "You have a long way to go, small boy, before you can ever measure to Lightning."

"We shall see, Lightning," Wildfire snickered, locking emerald eyes with pale yellow orbs.

Kid Flash took Jinx aside, grasping her hand with a gentle, concerned smile. "Hey, you okay?"

"No…I'm not. The one I knocked out, Axis, she brought some very painful memories," Jinx explained, looking away. "Some I'm definitely not proud of."

"But she doesn't know you like I do. I know the real Jinx who is proud, strong, an awesome leader and fighter. Besides, you're more beautiful than she ever could be," Kid Flash murmured, leaning forward and presented her with a stunning rose.

She smiled back, accepting it and asked, "Where do you get these?"

"That's my secret."

"If you two are done having your little 'Flinx' funfest, there's an alien race bent on killing us probably, and we gotta stop them," Argent interjected, walking and took Thunder's hand, dragging him with her.

Thunder smiled, happy that she was feeling better. Argent was back to her normal, confident self that he admired dearly. However, he did not notice the sudden pained expression Lightning wore as his younger brother drew back in surprise and walked behind them.

Lightning's hand went to his chest, grunting as his heart beat harder in his ribcage. Gulping down his bottled fear, he sighed and reluctantly followed the group back to the ship. He recalled Galfore's little pep talk, but it he still felt a strange sadness as Argent arms with his brother who gladly reciprocated the action and laughed. Lightning closed his eyes, following as the others made their way ahead of him, but what pained him was that Thunder acted as if Argent meant more to him than he did.

"Lightning?"

He looked over Jinx who called his name with Kole next to her.

"You okay?" Kole asked.

Nodding, he mustered a weak smirk. "Of course I am. I am Lightning. There is nothing wrong."

Kole hesitated, staring back to Lightning who suddenly engaged in conversation with Kid Flash. There was an air of misery that loomed around him like a mist, but if he insisted that if he was okay, she had to believe him. Yet, Kole wondered what was wrapping that boy's mind up in such distress.

…

We have emo!Lightning starting, but that'll change. I can't have emo!Lightning for too long, but he'll return! With a vengeance! Please review!


	7. Shalas

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

"You know what I find ironic?" Kid Flash wondered aloud.

"Enlighten us, o' wise one," Jinx asked, hinted with sarcasm.

"Why did that King Ch'ah hire two bounty hunting groups to get us when he invited us to dinner? Pretty stupid, if you ask me," Kid Flash stated.

"Dark Nemesis hates me and the other H'san Natall and human hybrids, so he probably hired them just to psyche us out," Argent explained.

"And the Gordanians are in desperate need of work," Wildfire chimed in, sitting in with Kid Flash and Jinx. "They have resorted to getting jobs from lowlifes and villains in order to retrieve their former glorious status."

"Yeah, but they tried to kill us," Kole interjected.

"It does not matter for we defeated our enemies," Lightning argued. "All we must do now is get to our destination without any sort of casualties."

Thunder nodded, remaining silent as he turned to look out the window. Lightning leaned over him, gazing as well. Another planet was coming up, red in color like Earth's sister planet Mars with purple and white blobs of landmasses. Both glanced to each other before looking out to the planet once more in interest.

"That's not the planet, in case you two are wondering," Argent informed, making the brothers look back to her.

"My brother and I are merely curious about these other worlds," Lightning spat, continuing to look out. "I am wondering, brother, what it would be like if we sent the rains to other planets."

"It would probably be wondrous. Perhaps there are some planets that have not even seen rain," Thunder mused.

"Our rain, you refer to," Lightning corrected, smiling playfully.

Thunder warmly grinned back. "Yes, our rain."

Lightning glanced over to Argent, and she could have sworn he was sneering at her. She frowned, deciding not to get into another bicker as it would have proved pointless. The New Zealander rolled her shoulders back, stretching and smooth her hair back down to her shoulders.

"Hey, Argent, can your old friends fly in space by any chance?" Jinx questioned, looking to her left out the window.

"Prysm can. Why?" she asked.

"Oh, no reason. Just that she's flying straight towards us!" she shrieked.

Prysm became one with light, turning invisible and dashed right in front of the planet. Wildfire wondered why she wasn't wearing any clothes. She glanced over all of them before stopping on Argent. She had the nerve to wave very casually, asking if they received her father's invitation.

"We have. What was the deal with sending Dark Nemesis and the Gordanians after us?" Argent snapped.

"We were ensuring you were on your way," Prysm curtly responded.

"There wasn't a reason to attack us!" Kole shouted.

"They were ordered to use any means necessary, including killing the humans that dared to come in our way."

Kid Flash, Jinx and Kole winced visibly, making Prysm snicker. Lightning's hand reached for a button to blast her, but Thunder grasped his hand tightly, warning him to not as it would entice her to battle. Lightning questioned why, but soon understood why. If Prysm shot the ship apart as means of retaliation, their friends and they would die.

"Why have you come?" Thunder demanded.

"Simply to check on your status. It seems you are coming along nicely." Prysm pointed in the direction she came, and they looked at wherever she was gazing at. "My planet is that way. It is the next one. Follow and-"

A beam of coarse red energy cut out over Prysm's shoulder, slicing into Thunder and Lightning's side of the ship and cut them clean off, separating them from the rest. They suddenly rocketed towards the planet they were previously pondering and gazing at. Since their pod only controlled weapons, they had simplistic piloting methods, but they were never informed on how actually to fly the contraption. Both frantically pressed anything, only firing random missiles and started screaming wildly as they darted farther and farther away from their comrades.

"Thunder, what do we do?" Lightning shrieked.

"Pray!" Thunder cried, grabbing the throttle and heaved it upwards.

Lightning snatched his hand, assisting in dragging it up, but it suddenly broke in their hands. Staring at it, they meekly glanced to each other as their pod was caught within the atmosphere of the unknown planet and spiraled down towards the clouds. Roaring, Thunder smashed his fist through the dome, effectively breaking it and snatched Lightning's hand. They teleported in magnificent streaks of blue and yellow, landing on a cloud as the pod crashed in a fiery explosion below.

Lightning sighed in relief and stretched his slothful limbs. "An excellent punch, my brother! If you had not smashed through the dome, we would have been dead!"

Thunder smiled bashfully. "Thank you, brother. Shall we venture forth and search the ground below?"

"We might as well! It is better than sitting up here," Lightning sniggered, wrapping his arm through Thunder's.

They both shot down like the younger brother's namesake, crashing to the ground in a shattering _boom_ with a blue electrical circle around them. Both surveyed the area, staring at the violet and snow white hills in surprise. There was no source of water and few, slacking, dead trees. Lightning knelt down, touching the ground and noted the ground was extremely dry.

When they located their pod, they gaped in shock. Their ship was in scattered, orange pieces. They weren't sure what was a weapon or their seat. Lightning bent down, touching the outer shell of the ship, but smoke started rupturing from it, and he threw it towards the other garbage. Cyborg was really going to kill them.

"We are stranded!" Lightning shouted, throwing his arms up and began pacing furiously. "How could this have happened? What nefarious villain attacked us? How dishonorable!"

"Perhaps it was one of Prysm's comrades, ones we do not know of," Thunder suggested as they started walking towards a hill with purple grass.

Lightning nodded in agreement as they reached the top of the hill. The world was with bright purple grass and white clouds. Hills curved sharply downwards, and in the distance, they could see enormous caverns and never-ending cracks in the ground. Thankfully, it seemed they had landed it what appeared to be the only safe haven on the planet.

"Where…where are we? Is this planet vacant?" Lightning questioned, looking around in shock.

"I cannot sense any life nearby," Thunder informed. "It seems we are on a dead world."

Whipping out his communicator, Lightning attempted to reach anyone, but static was his response. Frowning irritably, he sat on the ground and crossed his arms, huffing in annoyance. Thunder imitated him without the volatility, glancing warily to his brother.

"How long will it take before those fools discover us?" Lightning barked.

"Be patient, my brother. They will not abandon us," Thunder reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you certain?"

The question surprised Thunder as he stared deep into Lightning's inquiring orbs. He thought that Lightning at least trusted their friends. Then again, in the past, they had no friends, only people who wished to destroy them. Thunder looked over his shoulder towards the sky and then smiled brightly. Grabbing Lightning's hand, he dragged him to his feet and suddenly shot them back up to the cloud.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Lightning shouted, stumbling on the cloud.

"You have stated that you wish to bring our rain to foreign planets! Let us bring the rain of the heavens to this barren rock!" Thunder jubilantly explained, throwing his hands out.

Lightning paused in recollection before nodding enthusiastically. "Yes! Let us!"

From his a special spot reserved in the back of his lower half of his chest armor, Thunder removed two black poles. He smashed one against the slowly darkening cloud, and a low rumble erupted, disrupting the silent world. Lightning nodded to the beat, grinning wickedly and shot his arm out. A staggering wave of his namesake darted out, dashing along the cloud.

Thus, their dance began.

Thunder and Lightning worked in tandem as it was the only way to create rain. One alone was never as powerful without the other. Each smash of the pole brought out the discoursing roar of thunder, echoing throughout the still planet. All the while, majestic streaks of white and yellow lightning flashed across the cloud. The cloud darkened until it was nearly a full-blown black, accumulating to a full, fluffy form, filled with rain waiting to be released. The process seemed to take mere seconds as Lightning swirled around like a dancer, directing his arms everywhere to pinpoint where his energy should strike. Thunder remained in the center, a few feet away from his brother and heaved his full power through the rods he held dear, smashing them against the cloud in order to pound the rain out.

The clouds split suddenly, and torrents of rain smashed down onto the world below. Both smiled through flashes of lightning, gazing at each other in bliss. Lightning laughed jovially, dancing through the cloud and gestured for Thunder to join him. Thunder smirked in disbelief, catching Lightning's arm and twirled him in the air. It was a secret hobby of Lightning's, and only Thunder knew of his brother's love of dance. If anyone else knew, Lightning believed he would be scarred and dishonored as a weakling. Thunder snickered as Lightning leaned his back into his broad chest, looking out to their work of art and smiled.

"Is it not wondrous?" Thunder murmured, hugging him from behind.

"It most certainly is," Lightning whispered, grinning widely and snuggled into him. "May we go down and see what our storm is like from below?"

Thunder nodded, and they shot down towards the ground. They looked back up at the rain, smiling brightly, and Lightning threw his arms out to bask in it. Thunder placed his hand on his brother's lithe shoulder and continued to gaze in wonder. Placing his rods back into his reserved spot, he hesitated as he felt tiny footsteps tiptoe towards them.

_You sense the presence, too, Thunder?_ Lightning asked, dropping his arms to his sides.

_Yes, I do. Prepare yourself, _Thunder warned.

Both whirled around, but suddenly balked at their adversaries. They were small, about six inches wearing tiny red hats and proper coats with their bodies like cute white ants. Their eyes were large, black and purple in color, and their four arms were raised in the air. They counted as a few dozen before bowing towards the brothers.

"Raaaain, shala!" they jeered, surprisingly in unison.

"Brother! What is this?" Lightning demanded in shock.

"Broooother, shala!" they repeated, leaping to their feet.

Thunder blinked, wondering why they were reiterating everything they were saying. "Hello?"

"Helloooo, shala!"

Thunder and Lightning looked at each other in wonder before it turned to confusion. Before they could react, the "Shalas" as they dubbed the tiny aliens, pushed them over and began carrying them up towards the hill. Throwing them down on their bottoms, they resumed bowing.

"This is awkward," Lightning muttered.

"Awwwkwaaard, shala!" they repeated.

"Stop that insane squabbling!" Lightning barked.

"Stop that, shala!"

"Brother, I think they merely wish to treat us with hospitality and praise for bringing rain to their world," Thunder explained.

"Praise! Praise! Shala!"

"Was the rain what you required, little ones?" Thunder asked, kneeling in front of them.

They nodded, pointing down below. Looking in that direction, the brothers gasped in shock. Giant sprouts of vegetables erupted from the shining, lavender grass. They seemed to be blueberries, and the Shalas immediately leaped over them, nibbling onto the blueberries. Thunder and Lightning looked to them in surprise before smirking to each other and watched as they devoured their fruit.

_They are rather strange beings, these aliens, _Thunder thought, kneeling towards them.

_Yes, the white ones are certainly amusing to watch, _Lightning agreed, chortling as the Shalas climbed over each other to get the delicious berries.

_Brother, you have been quiet, _Thunder observed, placing a hand on his shoulder. _Even during our dance, you have been silent when you are usually so jubilant. Something troubles you?_

Lightning raised an eyebrow, staring at Thunder in shock. He opened his mouth to speak, but shook his head just as rapidly as his namesake. _There is nothing wrong with Lightning! What would make you insinuate such thoughts?_

Thunder frowned. _You are lying._

_I am not!_

_Please, Lightning! _Thunder entreated, taking his hand._ I am your brother, and I know what usually troubles your thoughts, but I cannot tell this time. I wish to know._

Lightning opened his mouth to speak when the Shalas suddenly shoved him forward, finishing with their meal and leaped onto his back. They began jumping down onto his back, and his bones cracked, and Lightning winced and suddenly fell limp with a pleasured sigh.

"Oh, pleasing," he moaned, a stupidly wide grin plastered on his face. "An excellent massage, little Shalas."

"Pleeeeasing, shala!" the Shalas shouted, continuing their jumping.

Thunder laughed as Lightning asked them to move over to the right on his back. The Shalas approached him with smaller blueberries shaped like grapes. Thanking them, he accepted the fruit vine and plucked one off, biting it experimentally. It was sweet, tasting like an apple, and he smiled blissfully.

"Most delicious. Thank you, white ones," Thunder murmured.

"Deliiiicious, shala!"

Popping one on Lightning's still groaning mouth, he snickered as Lightning chewed and swallowed, receiving the same reaction as his brother. Thunder laughed as Lightning sat up, snatching it out of his hands and began eating the rest.

"You greedy cretin!" Thunder blurted, shoving his shoulder playfully.

"You are bigger than I am, and I am littler, so I deserve more," Lightning informed.

"…Are…are you calling me…?" Thunder's eyes seemed water, and his lower lip trembled sadly.

"No! Of course not!" Lightning waved his hands frantically, smiling quirkily and quickly laughed nervously. "Never! You are very strong, my brother, not flabby."

Thunder frowned, narrowing his eyes down to him. "Fine…I will let this go…for now. Should we get going? They must be worried about us."

"No," Lightning snapped.

"No go! No go! Shala!" the Shalas cried, clinging to them.

They blushed, shocked at how appreciative they were. Thunder stroked a few of them, smiling as they cuddled up against his chest. Lightning grinned, chuckling at their affection as they massaged his shoulders. Thunder glanced over to his brother, frowning sadly, and they were watched as the sun slowly descended across the horizon.

After a few hours of not being discovered by their friends and the Shalas went to sleep by shoving their heads into the ground, both laughed as they wriggled into their sleep. Thunder and Lightning decided to wait until their companions came, but on the clouds where they felt more comfortable. Before Lightning could even think about sleeping himself, Thunder grasped his wrist.

"Brother, why did you not wish to search for our friends?" Thunder asked confusedly.

Lightning frowned, crossing his arms. "I simply felt it would be foolish to waste our precious time by looking for them when they saw us crash onto this world."

"Yet, what if they are searching for us and cannot locate us? What Prysm and her allies have attacked them? What if we are stuck here forever? What if Argent-?" Thunder frantically cried.

_Swap!_

Thunder held his cheek in a mix of shock and confusion. Lightning slowly brought his hand to his side, staring intently at his brother. Quietly lowering his hand, Thunder watched as Lightning's expression grew grim, and his head rocketed towards the cloud.

"Brother, what is the matter?" Thunder questioned, placing both hands on his shoulders.

"I am sorry for slapping you once more. You…" Lightning stopped, crossing his arms and looked away. "I feel as though…"

"Yes?" Thunder whispered.

"What do you think our lives together would have been like if we never came in contact with the Titans?" Lightning slowly asked, bringing his eyes to lock with Thunder's.

Thunder reared back in shock, biting his lower lip and thought about the question. Looking at Lightning's saddened expression, he pondered of what the true meaning behind his misery was. A light smile graced his round face, and he pulled Lightning in a warm hug.

"If we had not met the Titans, we would still be as we are. Nothing could ever change who you truly are to me. You will always be my Lightning as I will always be your Thunder. Yet, we have met such extraordinary people and acquired magnificent friends. We have learned of our heritage and why we were granted such vast abilities. We have reunited with our dear mother, but one thing would remain the same no matter what. That you are my brother, and I love you," Thunder quietly murmured, his baritone voice a soft rumble.

Lightning felt his eyes well up with tears, but he quickly wiped them and hugged back. "Yet, I feel lonely."

"How so? I am always with you. Have done something to upset you?"

Pushing away, Lightning frowned and placed a hand on his hip, waving his finger in the air as he barked, "It is always 'Argent this' or 'Argent that'! I am tired of it! You are with her so much that it is like our moments alone are few and far! I am missing the days when it was only you and I, where I would not have to battle for your love. It is…painful," Lightning admitted, looking downtrodden to his toes.

"But you and I share a special love, our own bond, brother," Thunder reassured. "It is something that Argent could never have because it is unique to only us as my relationship with Argent is special in its own valued way. There are many kinds of love, brother, but our bond is much stronger than anything in all the galaxies."

Lightning smiled back after a few moments and leaned into Thunder's shoulder, snickering. "I love you, too."

Thunder frowned, bopping him over the shoulder with his elbow. "Did you truly have to slap me once more? You could not have come with a more…manly attack?"

"…Shut up," Lightning stated calmly, crossing his arms.

"…Make me," Thunder challenged coyly, shoving him backwards.

"I will!"

Lightning tackled Thunder to the ground, but Thunder quickly got the upper hand. Wrapping his arm around Lightning's neck, he burst into laughter as Lightning flailed underneath him. Lightning snatched his face, frantically digging his hands onto anything that would distract Thunder. Grasping his helmet, he chucked it a few yards away, and Thunder gasped, going to retrieve it. As Thunder situated it on his head, Lightning appeared in front of him and kicked him square in the face. Lightning laughed wickedly as Thunder rubbed his chin, but stopped when he found Thunder's glare on him.

"…Uncle?" Lightning squeaked as Thunder hovered over him.

"You used to call 'uncle' when we were children of eight years old," Thunder recalled, smirking and placed an arm on Lightning's shoulder. Sitting themselves down, he asked, "How is your situation with Kole?"

Lightning sputtered, couching conspicuously. Clearing his throat, he looked warily to Thunder. "My _friendship_ with the crystal witch is simply fine. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, simply because you are jealous whenever Wildfire comes and speaks with her," Thunder sneered, nudging his shoulder.

"You are mad, brother!" Lightning blurted, a faint reddening coming to his usually pale cheeks as Thunder laughed vibrantly. "I feel no other emotions towards that brash, foolish…pretty…" Lightning glared at Thunder, hitting his shoulder as he sniggered. "You forced me to say that!"

"I most certainly did not. I cannot control your mind," Thunder chuckled.

"Liar!"

Thunder pat Lightning's head like he was a dog. "It is fine, my brother, if you like her. Try telling her how you feel."

Lightning turned away, crossing his arm and huffed. "Never!"

Thunder laughed as Lightning blushed, rubbing his back in circles. Lightning yawned, drifting off as Thunder fell back with him. Cuddling against his chest, Lightning knew that he did not even need to ask permission to remain on his chest. Lightning and Thunder glanced up and down to each other respectively and wished each other a good night.

…

"I can't believe it!" Jinx shouted, staring down at the remains of the pod. "Cy's gonna kills us."

"Them, you mean," Argent corrected. "Cyborg's gonna kill Thunder and Lightning."

"Well, we found the ship. Where're they?" Kid Flash wondered.

Kole noticed that the ground was suspiciously wet, and she smirked, looking up. "Where do you think?" At their inquisitive stares, she pointed to the sky, and the others slowly realized what she meant.

"In the sky? Have they turned into clouds?" Wildfire asked.

"No, they're on the cloud," Jinx curtly explained. "Somebody go get them."

"I will," Argent volunteered, flying up with Wildfire. She and the Tamaranean prince dashed up in streaks of color, red, black and orange like the sun. When they shot up through the cloud, they gasped. "Oh, my."

Lightning was smiling in his slumber, arms wrapped around Thunder's neck. Thunder's arms were wrapped around his waist, keeping his positioned. Surprisingly enough, the cloud was lifted around them like a marshmallow blanket. They were sound asleep, and Wildfire attempted to poke Lightning in the face, but Argent snatched his wrist, shaking her head.

"But why? Sleeping will only hinder our progress," Wildfire mused.

"We all deserve to sleep, and the clouds are their special spot," Argent informed. "Besides, I'm tired, and I really don't want to be cramped up in that spaceship with Kole anymore."

Argent flew down towards the others with Wildfire flying behind her. Explaining what they saw, Kid Flash cooed that was cute until Argent bopped him over the head. Jinx pointed out the white bodies coming out of the ground in disgust, walking towards the tree and pulled herself up. Situating herself, she fell asleep with Kole in another branch. The other four took refuge in another tree, drifting off. However, Argent remained awake for a few more minutes, thinking over what happened before Prysm left. It was the Gordanian leader Trogaar that attacked Lightning as revenge, but Prysm defeated him, stating she would see them soon and flew off. Argent wondered why Prysm would even help them, but smirked, knowing that there was still some good left in that sheepish girl after all.

…

SHALAS.


	8. Beds

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

"I am sorry for any trouble my brother and I have caused you," Thunder stated, bowing his head as Lightning indifferently shrugged.

"It's fine, blue boy," Argent replied, glancing over her shoulder to him and Lightning who sat in the back with them. "It's better now that we only have two pods now. Besides, it's easier to stay in touch."

"And the fact that Cyborg's gonna kill you both once he finds out what happens should come into play," Kole added cheekily.

"Feh, it was not our fault that the Gordanians struck us," Lightning interjected, smirking as Kole glanced back to him. "Besides, is it not your place to control the ship, crystal witch and silver wretch?" 

Kole huffed, narrowing her eyes. "You're the one with the simplest piloting controls. I figured an idiot like you could be able to do it."

"You should have assisted us because my brother and I were never informed on how to utilize our contraption," Lightning hissed, crawling towards her and placed his head onto her shoulder.

Growling, she glared over to him as he cheekily grinned. Kole felt color coming to her face as Lightning patted her hand a few times and held it dearly. "Wh-what are you…?"

"But fear not, fair one. I do not blame you incompetence. In fact, I whole-heartedly blame the silver wretch," Lightning proclaimed, pointing to Argent.

"Oh, lay off, you pompous moron," Argent groaned, rolling her eyes.

"If you would stop doing canoodling over there," Wildfire snarled, "I think we have a mission to defeat the H'san Natall."

"Actually, I'd much rather watch Lightning and Kole," Kid Flash countered, smirking. "I think we'd all like to."

Jinx, Thunder and Argent nodded, sneering at Lightning and Kole. Lightning retracted his hand and head, sitting straight up and moved back to his brother. Thunder reached back, patting his head until Lightning slapped it away, leaning against the wall.

Kole sighed, shaking her head slightly and concentrated back onto space and its passing stars. She continued looking over her shoulder to Lightning who began bantering with Kid Flash over something through a communications radio on the wall. He was cute somehow, annoying, but cute. Lightning could be nice when he wanted to be, but his affections were only targeted towards Thunder and her rarely. It was strange for him to show her kindness which was extended flirtations for pain or genuinely being nice. The pink-haired Titan exhaled deeply and straightened.

Jinx gazed forward, pink eyes narrowing onto another planet. It was a light purple planet with dark purple crevices and black clouds. "Is this the planet Prysm was talking about?"

"It is. That's the world of the H'san Natall," Argent replied, leaning forward on the throttle to speed up. "Get ready. I don't know if King Ch'ah prepared an army to come fight us or have his warriors masquerade as guides to do a sneak attack. Just get ready for anything."

"We will," Thunder vowed, nodding. "They shall not be victorious."

Argent forced the ship forward, blasting through the ebony clouds, and the Storm Twins realized that they were not clouds. Instead, it was thick smog, pollution running rampant throughout the skies. Thunder and Lightning were horrified at how such toxins could fly free in the H'san Natall's world or how anyone could live there.

The ground was built out of giant crystals, and Kid Flash commented that perhaps Kole was Prysm's sister. Everything was created of a crystal that seemed to be like Kole's. Houses, mountains and even trees were of light blue crystal. It was like the crystal was the only resource on the planet.

There were several ships and sizes of people. Some resembled Walter Williams, Thunder and Lightning's deceased father while others looked like Fringe, but hairier. There were aliens with human appearance, but with deformities like pointed ears or more eyes or no noses or the inclusion of tusks. There were the creatures that looked like ogres from myths and shorter dinosaurs with legs.

"Welcome to my own personal hell," Argent remarked, leaning the ship towards a large castle on a nearby hill.

Like the other members of Titans South expected, the castle was configured out of crystal, but also impenetrable steel. Several cannons and warriors of all kinds surrounded the massive, medieval-like fortress. A bridge where sharp planes were stored open up on the side, and Argent landed the craft inside.

"I, too, have been to this planet as a prisoner of war," Wildfire proclaimed, lowering his head sadly. "Before the experimentations of the human and H'san Natall hybrids occurred, Galfore informed me of their…violent tendencies. My older sister, Komand'r, otherwise known as Blackfire, and I were sent to be messengers of peace when we were younger, but they captured us. It waged war between our planets, and it is still continuing, hence, the attacks earlier."

Kole smiled sympathetically to him, wishing to reach and touch his hand to comfort the prince. "But you're with us now, and we're gonna take them down for all their wrong-doing."

Wildfire grinned back, nodding. "Ah, yes, Love Kole, you are right. I suppose I am just worrying over nothing."

Lightning frowned darkly, but Kole glanced over her shoulder to him. They stared at each other for a few moments before she bopped his forehead lightly. Yelping, the yellow elemental demanded to know what he did wrong.

"What did I say about antagonizing Wildfire?" she scolded like a mother to her child.

Giving a quick snort of disgust, Lightning crossed his arms and decided to play along. "To not antagonize him?"

"Exactly." She grinned at him, rubbing his hair, but paused when she noticed Wildfire glaring at Lightning. "Wildfire, this goes for you, too!"

"Bawww!" the Tamaranean whined.

Titans South and Wildfire exited the ship, looking around towards the aircrafts. Every plane was fortified with weapons far superior than Earth's. Multiple lasers and plasma energy cannons were extended out of any opening. They looked like Earth's jets, but much larger and built with a higher density metal. Cyborg would've had a field day if he was there, examining everything down to the smallest button.

Argent shuddered, gripping her elbows tightly and shakily took in breaths. She hated this place more than anywhere in the galaxy. She was back where all the pain occurred. All the guilt and screaming would resonate in her dreams, coming back to haunt her. Argent glared back at the others when Kid Flash was snickering that they should hijack one plane as a joke. Ordering the others to stop gawking in a gruff voice, she stomped off and commanded her team to follow her.

"Jeez, moody much?" Jinx muttered as they quietly followed her.

"She has probably been there much turmoil here," Thunder countered. "This castle, this world, must bring so many horrid memories to her mind."

"Jinx, Thunder, I'd like it if you'd stop talking about me back there!" Argent snapped, whirling back to snarl at them.

Both cringed, falling back as Argent swiveled around and walked in a faster pace. Thunder and Jinx exchanged surprised looks before obediently following her. The blue elemental was definitely the one that was in most worry for Argent's behalf. Besides that the fact that she actually referred to him by his real name was unnerving, Thunder could only wonder what exactly she went through. Thinking of the own tortures of his past, Thunder pondered on what she went through, and he immediately thought of the planet that strode on. The H'san Natall were deadly, to say the least, but Argent knew them longer and battled them previously. Had they beaten her? Broke her spirit? Tormented and warped her mind?

_Brother, your troubled mind concerns me,_ Lightning thought, placing a hand on his shoulder.

_I suppose Argent's sudden rage is the reason for my confusion. This is wracking my mind for answers that I cannot obtain by myself, _Thunder admitted, frowning.

_Like you said previously, my brother. Argent shall tell us when she sees us as worthy._

Thunder smiled down to Lightning, nodding. _Yes, you are right. Argent will soon reveal to us the truth._

They approached a large set of crystal doors that reached up to forty feet, almost touching the roof. Like magic, they doors spread apart, and Argent stepped forward without looking back. They hurried after her with Jinx muttering that she was becoming "more emo every moment".

"This is the throne room of King Ch'ah," Argent explained.

The room was crafted in silver and gold. Tiles covered the floor made of magnificent marble with statues of previous kings and queens along the side. To the elemental brothers, the room appeared to be a giant battle arena designed for warriors. Jinx greedily eyed a few gold pendants, but Kid Flash leaned out in front of her and waved his finger.

"Don't even think about it," he warned seriously and winked.

Jinx scoffed, crossing her arms. "What? I have to be a good girl this whole time?"

"Yeah or Robin will kick you off in a heartbeat." He patted her shoulder, smiling boyishly as she huffed in aggravation.

"…That's one huge throne," Kole murmured.

"You may say that once more, crystal witch," Lightning agreed, nodding.

Like the world outside, the throne was crafted in crystal. It reached the ceiling with monstrous stalagmites adjacent to the Titans and Wildfire. Argent glanced up to the stalagmites with an ill smirk

"Hello, King Ch'ah," she stated morbidly.

"Ah, my dear Antonia Louise Monetti. It is ever a pleasure to see you again."

The others besides Argent whirled towards the left side of the throne, gaping in surprise at the newcomer. What bothered Thunder and Lightning is that they could not sense his presence like how they could not decipher that Prysm was coming during their little chat before getting blasted away from their friends. Next to the speaker was Prysm, Fringe, Hot Spot, and Risk without a trace of emotion on their faces.

The man was King Ch'ah, ruler of the insidious H'san Natall. He looked like his daughter with his unbreakable crystal body. His eyes were lime colored, and his smile was grim and tight-lipped, if he even had lips. They weren't sure. King Ch'ah was adorned in a blood red cape with black shoulder guards. He approached the group with his quadrant following behind.

"Ah, so this is Thunder and Lightning, the last two H'san Natall and human hybrids," King Ch'ah praised, smiling. He bowed politely, inclining the brothers to do the same back. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you both. Your father was a very brave man, loyal as well."

Thunder frowned slightly, nodding reluctantly. "Yes, and Walter was also loyal to our mother."

"I suppose he was. After all, he did continue to keep working under his human disguise and name," Ch'ah agreed, smiling.

"Just what do you want?" Argent hissed, stepping in front of Thunder.

"My father handed you out the invitation, did he not? We only wish to partake in a dinner feast with you all," Prysm explained.

"Besides, we're a family," Risk added, shocking them and sneered wickedly. "Us H'san Natall and human hybrids gotta stick together."

"Yeah, we're just one big, happy family," Hot Spot jeered.

"Just what do you want?" Jinx asked, slightly creeped out.

"I've invited you to a festive dinner," Ch'ah stated, "and-"

"So, where's the food at?" Kid Flash interjected, raising his finger.

Fringe suddenly lashed out, clawing Kid Flash across the face. Kid Flash cried out, skidding down the floor and slammed his head against the door. He groaned, slumping and held his face in agony. Jinx ran over to him, helping him sit up as he cupped his cheek.

"Do not interrupt when the King speaks with you," Fringe snarled.

"What's the matter, Arg? Can't control your pawns?" Risk sneered.

"Well, they certainly know how to throw out the welcome mat," Kid Flash grumbled, managing to stand up.

"Are you okay?" Jinx asked, voice dripping with concern.

He nodded slowly, smiling. "Of course I am. I'm awesome."

Jinx frowned, rolling her eyes. "Why do I even ask?"

"Because you care, and you're a good person."

"There was no excuse for harming out friend!" Lightning barked, charging up his hands.

"No, Lightning!" Argent snapped, raising out her hand to stop him.

The yellow elemental inquired for a reason, but stopped when she somberly glanced back to him. Lightning's mouth opened slightly, and his energy evaporated with a snap. He never saw her so sad before. It was pitiable, and Lightning almost reached out to touch her shoulder when Ch'ah began speaking once more.

"Come! I shall bring you to your chambers," he offered.

"Why do we require chambers?" Thunder asked curiously.

"To rest, of course. You all have been through so much today, and I believe that a proper nap is in order," Ch'ah explained, bringing them all down towards another large, crystal door. He gestured down to the four rooms. "Pair up with a member of the opposite and gender and sleep. My warriors will choose for you." With that, the monarch swiftly turned away with Prysm at his side.

"Father, why are you allowing them to sleep?" she questioned. "We should perform the dinner to have them to trust us fully."

Smiling down to his precious daughter, he ruffled her hair, but it didn't move. "My dear, it would not be fun to invade a world with tired soldiers. Earth needs more fear, more anxiety. We will strike when their emotions are running rampant."

Prysm nodded, complying with her father's explanation. She glanced over to her shoulder to Argent who glared back at her. Cringing at her sudden animosity, the princess turned towards the front with her father and exited the room. She wondered why Argent was being so stubborn. If she simply gave in, their family could be reunited. They could have adventures again just like two years ago when they discovered their heritage. Prysm sighed. Sometimes, Argent's obstinacy baffled her to no end.

"Come this way," Fringe commanded gruffly, pushing Lightning forward.

Before Lightning could electrocute him, Thunder grasped his shoulder tightly and urged him to obey. Lightning was definitely not as conforming as the others. He was prepared to murder Fringe if he dared touch him once more. He would've liked to roast Fringe over a fire. He'd make a perfect Thanksgiving meal since he looked exactly like a monster. Lightning smiled giddily over the thought, snickering as the others gazed to him strangely.

_Brother, your thoughts disturb me, _Thunder thought, trembling.

_You know you would like to as well, _Lightning replied, patting his arm.

"So, who shall sleep with whom?" Wildfire asked.

"You and you." Risk grabbed Argent and threw her to Thunder.

"You and you." Hot Spot grasped Kole and picked her up. He handed her off to Lightning like a doll who merely accepted her blankly.

"And the ugly guy and pinky," Fringe finished, pointing to Kid Flash and Jinx.

Kid Flash fumed, eye twitching. His hand vibrated at impeccable speeds, but before he could launch his tornado, Argent slapped him on his shoulder. He gasped lightly, deactivating his powers and sighed loudly.

"Man, you're the one that looks like a rejected werewolf," Kid Flash hissed.

"Just let it go, Wally," Jinx whispered, taking his hand gently, squeezing it lightly.

"And what of Wildfire?" Thunder questioned as the young prince gazed between Lightning and Kole in shock.

"He will be bunking in a special room. After all…" Risk smirked darkly. "…he is royalty."

"He's staying with us," Argent interjected, stepping in front of Wildfire. "What room are you staying in?"

"With Love Kole and Lightning," Wildfire stated, and he and Lightning began glaring at each other.

"Then it's settled. Wildfire, Lightning and Kole, Kid Flash and Jinx and blue boy and myself," Argent announced, pointing to each person.

Thunder paused, finally realizing that he was sleeping in a room with Argent. He balked as Argent began tapping his cheek. Turning to her in surprise, he was dragged off to their room on his heels as one thought continued to go through his head: _I am sleeping with Argent. I am sleeping with Argent. I am sleeping with Argent. I am-_

_Brother, shut up!_ Lightning snapped.

_I am sorry! I am just…in awe! _Thunder meekly replied, shrugging as Argent kicked the door open and walked inside.

They both glanced around the tight-knit room. It appeared to be a simple bedroom without any sort of weaponry to kill them as they slept. Argent yawned into her hand, going off to the bed as Thunder continued to look around. The room only had a bed that was just big enough for the both of them.

"…So…shall I sleep on the floor?" he asked after a few moments of silence.

Argent shrugged, unstrapping her boots and placed them by them bed. "Well, you're not a pervert like Kid Flash or an idiot like your brother, so I don't mind if you sleep in the bed."

Thunder quietly sat on the side of the bed as Argent hoisted the blanket over herself. He kicked off his sandals and looked over to Argent insecurely. The fact that she was letting him into the bed with her in it made him reddened. He was used to sleeping a room with his brother and no one else. In his mind, Argent was his extremely good friend and an effective leader to Titans South. She also was beautiful in his mind, and he glanced over his shoulder to find Argent facing the other way, apparently sleeping.

A grim smile came to his face as he wondered why she was so secretive and snapped at him so furiously. Thunder already knew why, even though he disdained not knowing what was on her mind when he could have been of assistance. He reached over to touch her shoulder, but hesitated when she rolled onto her back, and he realized she was sleeping.

He blinked in surprise, retracting his hand and smirked in disbelief. Getting into bed, Thunder gently smiled over to her, murmuring, "Whenever you are prepared to speak of your past, I am here to listen."

"…Thanks, blue boy."

Thunder instantly jerked his head back over to the smirking British Titan. She ruffled his hair, slapping his helmet off and giggled as he frowned. Argent shrugged when he asked why she feigned sleep.

"Ah, it's just funny to see you get all mushy," she explained coyly. "You're a gentleman, after all."

Thunder laughed nervously, but kept his gaze rather stern. "Then I will assume you will tell me soon?"

Argent hummed in thought, stuck her tongue out and turned the other way. "Good night, blue boy."

"…Answer my question," he whined dotingly.

"Nope."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"But that is not a proper reason."

"Well, I'm the leader and you're my second-in-command, so my word overrules you."

Thunder frowned, groaning in frustration before huffing and turning the opposing way. "You are very sly, Argent."

"I know. Love you, too."

"…Huh?"

"Night!"

…

"So, how do we set this up?" Jinx questioned as Kid Flash plopped into bed. "I should've known. I'm not sleeping in the same bed with you."

"Why not?" he asked curiously, removing his boots and gloves and threw them to the side.

"Um, because it's weird!" Jinx exclaimed, crossing her arms in hot malice.

Kid Flash leaned up on his knees and came within inches of her face. He smiled and pointed to the floor. "Or you can stay on the nice, cold floor with no blanket or pillow."

Jinx paused, looking down at the floor which was, like everything else, made out of crystal. She really hated this world. Why couldn't Argent, Thunder and Lightning just be some sort of half-gods? That way, she'd be able to sleep in her own comfy room which had a waterbed. Jinx liked waterbeds because she could slap water in Lightning's face if dared to touch her stuffed unicorn collection. Scowling, she glared up to Kid Flash and snarled at him.

"I really hate you," she hissed.

"No, you don't," he immediately replied, lying back down.

"You better not touch me or I'll hex you into next Thursday." Grasping the covers away from him, she heaved them over her body with a sniff.

"…I'm cold," Kid Flash pouted. "Jinxie, may I please the blankie?"

"Huh?" She turned her head so she could him make large puppy-dog eyes. Cringing at his adorable display, she attempted to inch away until she realized she was trapped at the edge of the bed.

"Pwease?"

"Oh, fine! Take it!" Jinx blurted, throwing him half of the blanket.

"Thanks, Jinx! You're the best!" he sneered, instantly placing a rose in her hand.

_Seriously! Where the hell does he get these?_ Jinx thought as she placed the rose by her pillow. "Uh, good night."

"Don't let the bed bugs bite," he chuckled.

…

"I shall sleep in the bed with Kole, and you may sleep at the foot of mattress," Lightning stated, crossing his arms.

"No! No! No! I want to sleep with Kole!" Wildfire proclaimed.

Lightning and Kole paused, reflecting on the Tamaranean's sentence. Kole's cheeks blossomed like the color of her hair, and she turned away flustered at Wildfire. Lightning fumed, charging up his fists and lunged at him in absolute, instant blind anger. Wildfire snatched his wrists, commenting that he battled out of "red-eyed rage" and easily flipped him over his shoulder. Lightning swerved in the air, transmuting his lower half into reminiscent of his namesake and shot a beam of searing energy at him. Wildfire retorted with star bolts, peppering them at the beam.

"Cut it out!" Kole shrieked, stepping between them.

"Kole, why do you intervene?" Lightning snapped, stopping his attack and landed.

"Here's the thing, guys. We're on a hostile planet with its inhabitants wanting to probably kill us, and you two are fighting over a bed?" Kole shrieked, throwing her arm back out to the coveted bed.

_It is more than just that,_ Lightning vehemently thought. Clearing his throat with slightly flushed cheeks, he added, "You are correct."

"I…what?" Kole's mouth dropped like a sack of potatoes at Lightning's agreement. "I am?"

"Of course. We are technically trapped here and bickering over such trivial matters will most assuredly get us all killed," Lightning explained. Sitting down at the end of the bed, he lied down and yawned. "If it so pleases you, I will sleep here."

Wildfire paused, staring at Lightning who began drifting off. Frowning in turmoil, he flew over and picked Lightning up. As the surprised elemental yelped, Wildfire tossed him under the blanket and smiled.

"What in the clouds are you doing?" Lightning demanded harshly.

"Your words are very inspirable," Wildfire replied blissfully. "The bed is yours. I will the one to sleep at the bed's foot. Oh, and if you touch Love Kole in an inappropriate manner…" Scowling darkly, he charged up his hand. "…I will kill you. Galfore has been teaching me many ways in the manner of torture."

Lightning pushed Wildfire off, grinning mischievously. "Oh, you fear too much, little prince. Lightning would not dare to."

"I find your tone cynical and very had to believe," Kole remarked, getting into the bed and instantly faced the other way. "So…good night."

"Good night," the boys chorused.

Lightning smiled at the back of her head, and Wildfire instantly fell asleep, slumping over. Both Titans glanced over to Wildfire who snuggled into the blanket like a frail kitten. Looking at each other in surprise, they both chuckled at his adorable display.

"For such a brave prince, he certainly a small child when he sleeps," Lightning mused slyly.

"He is kinda cute," Kole sniggered.

Lightning frowned, sitting up. "But how?"

She shrugged. "Just that boyish charm."

Snorting, Lightning lied back down and gripped the blanket. "I have more charm. I do not know what you see in him."

"…Are you jealous again?"

"No," he replied quickly.

Kole smiled, leaning over to him as Lightning suddenly gasped lightly as she giggled. She tapped his nose with her pointer finger, watching him stutter quietly. "But I told you already, Zap. I don't like Wildfire that way. I like someone else."

"You…do?" Lightning waited for an answer, but Kole snickered and went back to her side, wishing him a good night. "Wh-what? You manipulative witch! How unfair! Tell me!"

"Nope."

Lightning growled, huffing and fell back to his side, looking away. "You truly are devious."

"I know, Zap, I know."

…

"They're all sleeping, sire," Hot Spot informed, kneeling in front of King Ch'ah who resided on his throne with Prysm at his side. Beside him were Fringe and Risk who bowed their heads and copied him.

"Excellent. Awaken them in a few hours. Dinner will be served soon," Ch'ah sneered. "They will love the food, but I am certain that all the other Titans will adore the secret Argent has been hiding from them."

"Sire, do you mean-?"

"Yes, Risk, I do. I plan on it." Ch'ah smiled. "She will not know what hit her."

Prysm fidgeted by her stop at her father's side. She glanced down to her allies, staring intently at the black collars around their necks. "Father…"

"Yes, my daughter?" Ch'ah glanced down to Prysm in interest who worriedly glanced up to him.

"Will this work? What if Antonia…?"

"This is simple worrying that is unhealthy for you." He leaped down off his throne, landing next to her with a caring smile. "You only need your created siblings, Thunder and Lightning, to join. When they do, Argent will certainly come as well."

"I…guess so." She smiled warmly, nodding. "Yes, you are right, Father. She has to come with her family."

…

Implied couples are implied. :D


	9. Memories pt 1

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

How the heck did she end up on his chest?

Jinx reeled up in shock, practically falling off the bed and stared at Kid Flash's sleeping form in horror. Her eyes seemed to grow wider with every millisecond, and she appeared ready to have a panic attack. Jinx rubbed her eyes, and they were still dilated.

_Oh, right. I had to sleep with him. Blasted H'san Natall. Stupid Argent with her problems. Why couldn't she have been a semi-normal human like me?_ she thought venomously, placing her shoes on.

An arm suddenly wrapped around her waist, and she yelped, being dragged down. Jinx snapped her head to find Kid Flash smiling dashingly to her. He chuckled at her flustered gape, and he swooped down with a quiet kiss to her forehead.

"Good morning, my darling," he sneered.

"You-I-That-You…" Jinx trailed off, realizing how foolish she sounded. Clearing her throat, she hexed him straight out of the bed and frowned as he slumped onto the floor. "Don't do that."

"Aw, c'mon, Jinxie, my love." Kid Flash shoved his boots on, darted right in front of her, kneeling, and grinned. "I wasn't the one who cuddled you into me. You did that all on your own."

Jinx attempted to kick him in the face when he leaped into the air and flipped over her. He skipped over to the front door as she continued to hex his face off. Sneering, he proclaimed that they should wake the others and hopped out the door seconds before the door fell on him.

"I don't know why I put up with this idiot," she muttered, following him out.

"Ya put with me because you're hiding your real feelings for me."

"Shut up!"

They approached Thunder and Argent's room, watching a very awkward scene play out when they peeked in through the door.

"I…did…not…touch…your…chest…intentionally" Thunder evenly growled, glowering down to Argent who glared back. "It is obvious that my hand simply fell over you as we slumbered."

"Uh huh. Sure. Look, Thunder, I'm not dumb. I've been through this before," she hissed.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked in shocked concern, cutting her off.

Argent became deathly quiet. Thunder stared at her with a slight gape until Argent turned away from him. In a quick second, she bopped Thunder over the head with a hammer made out of her plasma repeatedly. Yelping, Thunder covered his head with his hands and shouted at her to stop.

"Are you gonna apologize?" she demanded, still hitting him.

"For something I cannot control, but if you wish it…" Thunder sighed, and Argent kept the hammer over his head "…I am sorry…"

Argent smiled broadly, nodding and depleted her energy. "Okay! We're good."

Thunder sighed in relief, shaking his head before noticing Jinx and Kid Flash spying on them. "Well, good morning to you."

"And an even greater morning to you, buddy," Kid Flash jeered. "So, touched Argent's boobs, huh?"

"I was sleeping," Thunder quickly cried, waving his hands.

Kid Flash nodded with a sly smirk. "Riiight, I got it. Anyway, we gotta go and wake Kole and Lightning up."

The four turned and suddenly yelped, finding a very, very, very angry Tamaranean prince in front of them. Wildfire practically had fire erupting around his head, and he breathed heavily threw his nose and growled, teeth gnashing together.

"…Um…um…Wildfire?" Jinx started before Wildfire groaned wearily and leaned into Kid Flash for support. "You okay?"

"I could not get any sleep," he mumbled.

"Why?" Kid Flash asked, straightening him.

"I was kicked off the bed repeatedly before I ended up sleeping on the cold, uncomfortable floor."

"Was it by the foot of my brother?" Thunder questioned in slight exasperation.

"…Both him and Kole. Right now…they are…" Wildfire bit back a curse and growled like a demon. "…snuggling."

"Oh, this I gotta see," Argent giddily replied, flying off with the others behind her.

Kid Flash hesitated, noticing Wildfire's downing sigh. Placing a hand on the younger boy's head, he smiled. "Hey, man. It's cool. Don't fret if Kole is snuggling with Lightning. Wait, why'd you let Lightning sleep with her anyway?"

"The way he worded his case on how foolish we were acting by letting our selfish desires get in the way of our mission truly was, well, stupid," Wildfire explained and Kid Flash nodded empathetically. "I only wish her happiness and love, but…if that idiot Lightning makes her cry, I will cut him."

Kid Flash cringed at the murderous glower Wildfire wore. Both ran over to Lightning's room, and their mouths dropped. Wildfire looked ready to kill someone, and that someone was Lightning.

Their arms were wrapped around each other, and Kole was snuggled into Lightning. Tiny smiles were plastered on their faces. The blanket was wrapped up to their waists, revealing their chests were touching, and heads inclined towards each other.

"…Oh, my God. This is best scene I have ever seen in my life," Argent muttered. "Everyone, you need take your communicators, put it on camera and take pictures."

Took pictures they did, later to be used as blackmail or to post on the internet to make Lightning and Kole seem like an official couple. It was also to make Robin and Starfire seem like they were simply holding hands instead of sleeping together like Lightning and Kole.

"…Why must you all mock me?" Wildfire muttered sadly as the four Titans smiled deviously.

Jinx gasped. "They're waking up! We gotta go!"

The four dashed off, but Thunder snatched Wildfire's ponytail and dragged him away much to his chagrin. Lightning groaned slightly, eyes slightly blinking to life. Rubbing his eyes, Lightning grasped whatever was clinging to him rather tightly and realized who was lying next to him.

"…Wow," he mused.

Kole woke up instantly, finding their faces to be nearly touching. Both reeled away from each other, sitting up with their knees touching their chests. They remained silent for a few moments, occasionally glancing over to each other.

"You!" they shouted simultaneously and stopped. Looking away, they muttered, "What?"

"Um…you know how we got like that?" she asked.

Lightning shook his head. "I suppose…our subconscious merely took over as we slept."

Kole nodded, glancing back over to him and grinned. "Well, it was sorta nice."

"Indeed." Lightning smiled over to her gently before looking down to the bed's edge. "Where is Wildfire?"

She shrugged, and they both stood up, and Lightning's eyes trailed down to her skirt that so happened to be rolled up and stuck inside her light blue underwear. His mouth opened, staring at her flawless legs. Gasping, Kole tucked her skirt back down and aimed a large stake of crystal to Lightning's head.

"_You pervert_!" she shrieked, tossing the crystal stake at him.

"Hsuan!" Lightning wailed, flying away just in time. "It is not my fault you are capable of wardrobe malfunctions!"

Kid Flash dashed into the room, stepping between the flustered duo with his hands raised. "Okay, enough of that! We already saw you guys being all cute together in bed so don't ruin that."

Lightning left the room with most of his dignity intact. Greeting his snickering brother, he instantly frowned. "Hand over your communicator. The photograph you took of Kole and I shall be blasphemy."

"Against Hsuan? Dear brother, you speak nonsense," Thunder sneered.

"…Give me the blasted communicator before I blast you!" he shrieked, clutching Thunder's armor and charged up his hand.

"Enough."

The dry voice of Jinx cut between them, and she revealed the photograph of Lightning and Kole snuggling. Lightning's mouth dropped to the floor. Making a wild grab, he fumed as Jinx nimbly leaped over him.

"Accursed witch," Lightning grumbled, crossing his arms. Feeling a tug at his armor, he looked down and wished he had not.

Wildfire was streaming. If possible, smoke would have been spewing from his fiery hair. Jabbing an accusing finger, he snarled, "Voyeur!"

"That is not of any language I have heard of! You are making words up!" Lightning barked.

Kole popped up next to Lightning. "When Wildfire kissed me, he learned all of the languages I know: English and a little bit of French."

Lightning frowned deeply. "Feh. What is that word's meaning?"

"A creep! A pervert! A voyeur!" Wildfire shouted, glaring at him. "The lewd act of that oh-so cuddly embrace must be punished!"

Thunder placed a restraining hand on Wildfire's shoulder. Glaring back at the blue elemental, the prince gulped immediately. Thunder's smile was tightly sewn to his face, and his grip tightened like a bear claw on prey. Wildfire fidgeted, meekly whimpering as Thunder's small eyes locked onto his emerald orbs.

"Now, my young friend, you were not about to harm my brother, no?" he questioned darkly.

Wildfire cringed, slowly shaking his head.

"Marvelous!" Thunder jeered happily, releasing him.

Lightning smirked as Wildfire trembled. _Thank you, brother._

_You are very welcome,_ Thunder thought back.

"What time is it?" Kid Flash asked suddenly, running back. "It tried to read their clocks, but they're all wonky."

Argent sighed, shrugging. "King Ch'ah wanted us for dinner. We've rested, and we're ready and eager to go. C'mon, guys and girls, don't wanna let the good king down."

Thunder watched her swiftness as she flew off at a pace for them all to follow. While the others went straight ahead, he hesitated and summoned his cloud. Hopping on uncertainly, he went behind the group, but his mind was plagued with troublesome worry. His thoughts rounded on the other H'san Natall hybrids. He knew they were being controlled, but how they speak, how they acted, Thunder believed their minds had been poisoned. King Ch'ah and Prysm's control on them must have heightened to a point of omnipotent rule over their thoughts, not just their bodies. Yet, what if one of his friends, the humans and Wildfire, were caught?

Thunder paused to think. If the controllers, the black collars Hot Spot and Risk donned, were the cause of their sickness, could he not just remove them? Alternatively, had their minds already been lost, and there was no return? Biting his lip in terror, Thunder glanced over his shoulder, but found no one. Believing his mind to be playing tricks o him, Thunder dotingly followed his friends.

"They're up, sire," Risk reported, hiding in a hallway with a small microphone by his mouth that was attached to a device in his ear.

"Excellent. I'll just have to keep them company with my daughter," the king sneered into his ear. "Fetch Hot Spot and Fringe. Set up the videos. First of the brothers and then of Miss Monetti."

"Yes, sire," Risk replied, cutting the connection. He smirked, pocketing his headset. "The Titans won't know what hit 'em. People, you heard the king. Let's get to work."

Fringe and Hot Spot nodded, coming out of darkened hallways. In his powered-up form, Hot Spot took to the skies with a grin. "You're right, Driscoll. They won't know what hit 'em."

…

"Welcome, welcome," King Ch'ah greeted amicably.

"Shove your greeting up your-"

"Kid Flash," Argent warned, glaring over to him.

"Whatever," he muttered.

Ch'ah frowned to a split second before resuming his regal stature. "Petty insults mean nothing to me."

_But being an egotistical jerk does, _Jinx thought bitterly, rolling her eyes.

Prysm flew over to her father. All of them were no in the king's throne room where they originally met Ch'ah. Argent glared over to her, and the princess quirkily smiled back. She flinched at Argent's cold glower, feeling a tint of flushed red overcome her body. Regaining her composure, Prysm knelt before her father, bowing her head respectfully and humbly, stating the dinner was prepared.

"Wonderful! Rise, daughter…" When she did, he smirked. "…and we shall feast on this glorious occasion to celebrate."

"What exactly are giving cheer over?" Thunder asked suspiciously.

"Why, the H'san Natall hybrids reuniting, of course," Ch'ah explained.

"If that were true, the other three would be here," Kid Flash snapped. "What about the rest of us that aren't?"

A grim expression dampened the king's blissful mood. "You are valuable friends to our hybrids. Your stay will be brief."

"What's that mean?" Kole demanded.

Ch'ah stepped past them, walking towards the center of the room where the large, New York block-sized table was laid out. Several fully clothed from their heads to their feet or whatever was done there. Their clothing was a leather garment with splotches of random color that they all deducted was blood from some unwilling animal. A massive white cloth adorned the table, covering the food as they stepped up to it.

"…For some reason that I really can't understand, I've got a feeling we're gonna drink pig's blood," Kid Flash murmured.

"Agreed," Wildfire acquiesced.

"Chefs!" Ch'ah commanded. "Remove the cloth!"

Jinx groaned. "If it's anything like Tamaran, I'm going to barf."

"How rude!" Wildfire indignantly cried.

"What? You guys eat so barbarically," she pointed out.

"She speaks the truth," Thunder chirped. "…Argent?"

Argent, who had been in her own little, chaotic world, gasped and took to attention. "Oh, sorry, blue boy. What's up?"

"It is nothing, but does anything trouble you?" he asked in concern.

"Something's up," she whispered as the chefs gathered around the tablecloth.

Thunder lowered his voice to a soft, musing tone. "How so?"

"Nothing feels right. My skin's crawling and itching. I think…I think I'm actually…"

"What?"

"…scared. It's like I know something's going to happen, something's gonna come up, but I can't figure it out…"

Thunder gently smiled with black orbs capturing her ruby gems. Giving her shoulder a light, reassuring squeeze, he muttered, "Everything shall work out for the better, my dear, Argent. We will all be safe."

Argent looked up at him with reluctance before managing a grin. "I guess you're right. Thanks for the little pep talk, blue boy."

He smiled. "Anytime."

"…Ew," Jinx whimpered, staring at the flourished table filled with food. "It's worse than I thought. It's like a drive-thru gone so wrong."

Scattered through the table were many assorted golden buckets filled with what appeared to be the black breast of chicken along with night sky colored soup. For drinks, there was an ebony liquid in silver cups.

"It's like moldy KFC," Kid Flash commented with a green tint.

"Do not be discouraged, young ones. They food is delicious," Ch'ah urged, clamping his hands down onto Lightning and Kid Flash's shoulders.

"And quite a party it will be," Prysm added cheerily.

_Her tone's disgusting,_ Argent cynically thought as silver chairs came up from underneath the floor. _Prysm…Audrey was never like this. I guess she really is Daddy's Little Girl. She did try to do us in before. I should've known this would happen. Stupid Audrey. What kind of name is 'Audrey' anyway? Sounds like a name for a mutt._

"Sit, sit down," Ch'ah happily ordered as a small throne chair popped up, decorated in jewels and fine, rich linens. Adjusting himself in his seat, another came beside him for Prysm. Once she sat at his side, he narrowed his eyes down to the Titans, and they reluctantly sat in the chairs presented. "Now, that everyone is accustomed to their seats, our dinner show will begin."

"What dinner show?" Jinx questioned, refusing to touch the food.

"You believe you know the Storm Twins, bringers of thunder and lightning in order to conjure the rain, correct?" Prysm asked as Thunder and Lightning became deathly silent.

"What vileness are you planning?" Lightning hissed.

"How do you know what we call ourselves fully?" Thunder slowly wondered.

Ch'ah grinned. "I shall answer, daughter. Walter Williams, your father, told me all about his beloved sons before they turned around and murdered him. He watched you two grow by those." He pointed down to their wrists. "The bracelets have a transmitter and a camera built inside to monitor you for the majority of your lives."

"You spied on them? How…low," Argent snarled, biting a black delicacy. "You never did that for the rest of us."

"There was no need, too. Walter was there to watch you all and ensure you were all transported here, but Thunder and Lightning weren't as they doing there own damage by having 'fun'. Still, the decision to spy on them was wise," Prysm interjected.

"We were able to watch you both grow, but we lost track after you two encountered the Teen Titans. When Cyborg's sonic cannon connected with Thunder's fist, the electrical current along with Thunder's namesake, deactivated the bracelet. Later, when Thunder struck Lightning on the same day, the same issue occurred. Both incidents happened the day you both turned fifteen, and that was the day you were to be transported here. Very…unfortunate to how the Titans interfered and turned the two of you into little responsible boys," Ch'ah informed.

"My brother and I were humbled that day. We are very pleased with ourselves now," Thunder retorted quickly as Lightning glared at the king.

"I see, but your past was very intriguing to watch over." Ch'ah pulled out a remote and pressed a button. A large screen came down slowly from above, and it stopped at the opposite foot of the table with an ominous black hue.

_Brother, I believe I prefer Tamaran's feast far more than this one, Thunder thought in worry._

_It cannot be so horrid, my brother. Wait…is that…?_ Lightning trailed off, mouth opening in surprise.

"…Oh, my gosh," Jinx muttered.

Kole squealed loudly, smiling brightly. "Man, Zap! You're so cute as a kid!"

"Yeah, they look…normal. I like 'em the way they are now," Kid Flash commented, blinking in surprise. "I can't even tell them apart."

Thunder and Lightning really wanted to shoot themselves. The screen exposed a gargantuan view version of Thunder and Lightning when they were Gan and Tavis Williams at the age of eight. The then-normal brothers donned blue and yellow karate uniforms with black hair and eyes. They were speaking for a few moments before getting into a fight that Tavis won through cheating.

"That was an unfair tactic!" Wildfire cried.

"Shut up! No one desires to hear your thoughts on our past!" Lightning snapped, silencing the Tamaranean.

Lightning's outburst surprised them all as he attempted to throw one of his electrical blasts. Prysm dashed in front of him, absorbing the blast and redirected it back at him. Lightning gasped, staring at his own beam coming back with a vengeance until Kole leaped onto the table and crystallized herself. Electricity surged through her and remained there until she thrust out her hands, and the blast was sent off in twin spirals. Opposed to Prysm's blank look, Kole sympathetically looked back to Lightning who stood just as aghast as the princess.

"You're okay, right?" she asked, stepping back into her seat.

"I…am," he replied uncertainly. "You saved me…Thank you."

The rose-haired heroine grinned cheekily. "Next time, don't overreact to a comment."

Snorting, he crossed his arms and glared at her. "Do not patronize Lightning."

"Zap, why do you refer to yourself in the third person?"

"'Third person'?"

Kole smirked. "It means you call yourself by your first name, not I or me. It sounds kinda strange and cool at the same time."

Lightning blankly stared at her and smiled very slightly, and it could have been misinterpreted as a sly smirk. "I am very…intrigued by your response."

"Shut the heck up, guys! I wanna watch this! We can learn about T and L for the first time in a few months," Kid Flash barked.

"Why?" Thunder inquired.

"Because I love you guys. You're awesome. Like, like so awesome that I want to go and give you a hug right now because you're that awesome."

Thunder and Lightning slowly looked over to Kid Flash who was simply grinning from ear to ear. The brothers quietly faced each other in blunt surprise, and Lightning sat back down.

"I wish to go back and watch our past be retold," Lightning murmured, glancing over to King Ch'ah who grinned bemusedly and pressed the play button once more.

Thus, their lives were played on a screen like a play. It was a tragedy, but also a comedy of brothers who fought through the world to find their places. They were rascals, but noblemen who knew when to stop their sense of 'fun'. They watched their exile, their separation from their mother, to meeting Chan To and his wise and amusing ways who became their father. The happiness for five years was not meant to last, however, as no happiness was for them, it seemed. His death tolled heavily on them, forcing them out into the world once more, alone, scared, but with each other forever. Nothing would break them apart, it seemed. Even later, as they strived out in their fifteenth year of life, they encountered the boy who would change: the green one, Beast Boy. Then, as the blasts that impaled their bracelets, they all remained silent as the screen turned to static.

Lightning was trembling, shivering like from a sudden chill. The yellow elemental gripped his knees, quietly taking in uneven breaths. Watching Chan die all over again tormented him. His father murdered him, but he still felt some sort of semblance of love for Walter, who repented in the end. Still, his heart ached and beat erratically as he attempted to come to terms with his inner turmoil.

Thunder placed his hand onto his shoulder, whispering, "It is fine, brother. We have overcome this."

"I am fine, brother," Lightning reassured, nodding for a few moments. "It will all be fine now. We have overcome as you wisely placed it."

The other Titans were silent, staring at the somber brothers. Kid Flash suddenly dashed over and hugged them both tightly. Thunder froze, and Lightning's eyes widened in surprise as Kid Flash backed away, wiping his eyes.

"That's so sad," he muttered in a near silent tone. "That's way worse than my junior high's burrito incident. I mean, yeah, I knew the gist of it, but seeing all of that…sitting on my butt for thirty minutes…it was so hard. Man, I got nothing on you two."

"It is…better now, Wallace," Lightning soothed, rubbing his forearm sheepishly.

"…Your name is Wallace?" Thunder asked as Kid Flash glared over to Lightning. "…Really? It is Wallace?"

"There's nothing wrong with my name!" Kid Flash quickly blurted.

Jinx quietly clapped for them, lowering her head in respect. "I had no idea…Maybe I should stop stealing their armor and dying it pink."

"…That was you?" Lightning demanded haughtily, charging up his hand.

"You heard that? Whoops, sorry," Jinx murmured, glancing away with a sheepish shrug.

Wildfire flew out of his chair and glommed onto Lightning, and nearly broke his back in the hug, a trait he acquired from Starfire. Looking over to Thunder who flinched, he embraced the blue elemental just as tightly, resulting in a sickening crack. Thunder grunted painfully, falling over and cringed as Lightning knelt down and poked him.

"You two have suffered through so much!" Wildfire cried, bulbous tears streaming down his face. "I feel so ashamed! I have mocked Lightning without knowing him, and I am so sorry!"

Lightning stood up, gently patting Wildfire's head as he continued hug and sob into his chest. "It is better now, like I stated a few times previously. Do not fret any longer, Wildfire."

Kole and Argent looked to each other and gave a subtle nod. Both went towards the brothers and shoved Kid Flash and Wildfire out of the way and stared down to them. Thunder opened his mouth to speak when Argent kissed his forehead. Thunder just sat there on the floor with his mouth slacking.

"…What of myself?" Lightning pouted as Kole simply ruffled his hair.

"Don't worry, you'll get something soon," Kole snickered and hugged him.

Wildfire felt a twinge of jealously, but he kept his mind strong. Looking over to the king and princess, he asked, "We have seen their past, but what was the purpose of it?"

"But who said the dinner show was over?" Ch'ah questioned, raising everyone's eyebrows, except Prysm's.

"What else do you have planned?" Argent hissed.

"Simply a meeting between young ones before they 'met' in the Titans. Otherwise known as Thunder's first love," Prysm sneered.

…

Sorry, school got in the way of updating, so it may take a little while for the next few updates. Please, review!


	10. Memories pt 2

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

Thunder looked more confused than ever. He slowly glanced over to King Ch'ah who merely grinned back in amusement. Everyone began to quietly murmur amongst themselves, wondering what Prysm meant by Thunder's "first love". Thunder slowly glanced down to his knees before glaring over to the regal father and daughter duo.

"You speak nonsense," he growled gruffly.

"Do I? On the other hand, do you not wish to see her again? That girl you spent the night with the day before your fifteenth birthday?" King Ch'ah snubbed, grinning mischievously.

Thunder sucked down a breath, eyes widening in shock. Memories flooded back in his mind, and they replayed multiple times. The girl's dark blue eyes paralyzed him, captivating his dreams. Her smile and laugh, everything haunted him. Their time together was brief, but it was enough to influence Thunder's heart so much that he could never forget her.

"Brother, who is this girl?" Lightning asked slowly and suspiciously.

"Zap, you don't know?" Kole questioned in surprise.

Lightning shook his head sorrowfully. "When my brother left that night, he never spoke of his actions once he returned home to our clouds. While, yes, I…recall him speaking of a girl, but I cannot remember anything else."

"Thunder had a girlfriend?" Kid Flash cried, leaning forward as Thunder glanced away, almost in shame.

"Kid Flash, lay off," Jinx warned. She returned her gaze to the blue elemental, whispering. "You need to consider his feelings. He looks so sad."

Kid Flash quietly took a second gander, gasping as he realized that Thunder's eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and he bit his lip so hard that he could have drawn blood. "Oh…wow, I feel like a total idiot…"

Argent sent a few glances over to her second-in-command. She wondered what sort of girl Thunder apparently fell in love with. It was a ludicrous thought to her, Thunder with some random girl. Was she prettier than she was? More sensitive like him, able to perceive the world with a more wary sense? Redness blossomed on her cheeks, and her throat constricted like a boa around her. She gasped lightly, grabbing the tablecloth and ripped it slightly. Was this actual jealousy?

"What is wrong?" Wildfire mused, tapping her shoulder and brought her out or her thoughts.

"Oh, I'm fine," she lied nervously, grinning. "No worries here."

"Why did you not show this during the showing of our past?" Thunder demanded sourly.

"Because it involves…" Prysm cut herself off by her father's glare, looking away curtly.

"How much do you know about us? It was private! You have no right to dare and spy on us!" Thunder snapped, slamming his fist into the table.

The Titans flinched, staring at Thunder in shock as he seethed. No one had ever seen him absolutely in rage. It was like someone had replaced the gentle, somewhat pacifistic and clingy elemental with a monstrous demon. Thunder stormed out of his sight and leaned dangerously close into the king. Prysm gasped, watching Thunder breath abnormally heavy and raised his fist.

"What did you do to her? When I ventured back the next day, she was gone," he snarled.

"Who says she is gone, Thunder?" Ch'ah retorted, smiling kindly like a sage.

"What does that gibberish mean?"

"Thunder, stop!"

His head twisted to find Argent standing up, hands on the table like an attorney attempting to make a case. Thunder gazed at her for a few moments before dropping his stance and sighed. Lowering his head, he reluctantly dragged himself back to his seat and slumped back down. He kept his hand over his face, not wanting to connect eyes with anyone.

Argent opened her mouth to speak, but she paused when the screen began to play again. She glanced over to Thunder, finding him to watch intently, but also in absolute sadness.

…

Thunder was fourteen, and the next day, he would be fifteen. He quietly lay back onto the cloud, dressed similarly to himself in present day. He sighed, smiling and glanced over to find Lightning glaring at nothing. Curiosity took over, asking what was wrong.

"I desire those sugary circles that the mortals eat," Lightning snapped, hovering over him. "Go fetch some. You need exercise."

Thunder gasped indignantly, shooting to his feet. "Why can you not retrieve them yourself?"

Lightning rolled his eyes, crossing his arm. "I am too hungry. My legs will collapse if I go out."

"Then fly!"

Lightning groaned, clinging to Thunder and begged, "Brother, please! I am starving!"

Thunder grunted in disgust, shaking his head and grinned. "Fine, I shall locate your sugary spheres."

Lightning grinned, nodding happily. Giving him a short wave as Thunder flew down towards the surface, he flopped back down and smiled. "Ah, dearest brother, you are so easy to manipulative."

Thunder was on his cloud, dashing down towards the surface world. During this time, the brothers perceived themselves as gods, ones with vast power to annihilate an entire village or invent the wondrous rains. They instilled fear into the hearts of the mortals, but several groups of rebels attacked them, threw stones and called them "monsters", screaming at them to "leave and never come back". Rejection was always with them, but together, they were never alone.

Sighing, Thunder looked around the barren streets. It was close to midnight, and the stars and moon allowed him as much light as he needed. He knew that one of the pastry shops was nearby, some place called a "fast food joint". Thunder walked down the sidewalk, smiling and looked around. The apartment buildings were bunched up together, and he wondered how such homes could be so close together.

"No!"

Thunder gasped at the sudden cry, twisting his head to see over his shoulder. Diving into an alleyway, he peered out, and his mouth fell open at the sight. He wondered if all mortals were so horrible.

A poor teenaged girl, fair-skinned, black hair with some strange, ebony attire was desperately fighting to defend her petite bag. She cried out, but one of the men, a rowdy, disgusting man slapped her straight across the face. The girl yelped, falling over with her bag. His accomplice, a slighter, scarred man snatched her wrist.

"Hand it over, you little tramp!" he roared, bringing out a knife.

"No! Help me! Someone, help me, please!" she wailed, knife to her throat.

Thunder stared in horror, breathing unevenly before looking back into the alley. He couldn't be seen, it would risk his brother and himself being caught by officials of whatever nation they were in. He thought it was England. Thunder found a homeless man asleep and blinked, grinning. Running over, he ripped the fresh jacket off him that the man bought from a consignment shop and the blue bandana he wore, tying it around his mouth to hide his identity.

Thunder rushed out, punching out the first thief. He swerved back, grasping the knifeman's wrist, and he winced, finding Thunder's eyes demonic. Whimpering, he begged him to let him go, that he did it to feed his wife and three kids. Thunder hesitated, and he frowned perversely, glancing down to the girl who just stared in horror.

"Drop the knife, and never allow these eyes to gaze on you once more," Thunder snarled.

The man screamed, tossing the knife away and ran all the way home. Thunder sighed, shaking his head. Telling the girl to be safe, he started towards the pastry shop again, but the girl grasped his hand. Flinching, he whirled around and found himself captivated by two large, azure eyes.

"Are you Batman?" she asked.

"What is a Man-Bat?" Thunder questioned, eyebrows scrunching together.

She gasped, releasing him. "Oh, sorry, I feel like such an idiot. You just saved my purse!" Without warning, she embraced him tightly, nearly breaking his back. Thunder scrambled to readjust the bandana, awkwardly hugging her back. Pulling away, she beamed up, still extraordinarily giggly. "Oh, gosh, you're my hero!"

"Uh…thank you…miss…" Thunder blushed, reddening underneath the bandana. He chuckled nervously as the girl continued to gaze up to him. "Uh, I do not want for such a lovely girl to be walking around by herself in the night. How far is your home? Do you need my assistance any further?"

The girl hummed, red lips curving upwards. "Well…I'll tell you if you tell me your name."

Thunder paused, face falling, and he quickly looked around. It wouldn't be so bad, right? She was just a mortal girl, a beautiful one at that with such large eyes that he continued to fall into like pools of water. "I am Thu-…Ga-…"

"Thuga?" she repeated, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"No! I, uh…I am Gan," he offered, smiling. "And you, miss?"

"My name's Toni," the girl snickered, raising her fist, and Thunder paused before bringing out his own, bumping it with her. "Toni Monetti. You might know my daddy."

"No, I do not."

Toni raised her head in surprise. "Really? You…you don't know him? You really don't know him?"

Thunder, now Gan, shook his head. "I am…not from around here."

"Where you from?"

Gan muttered something, too shy to admit where he was from.

"…What?"

He sighed, pointing to the sky.

"An angel? You're an angel, Gan?"

Gan shook his head again in complete surprise, interjecting, "No, no, I am…well…Have you heard legends of gods?"

"Like Greek gods, Zeus, Aries, Hera, and the others? Or the Roman ones like Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, whatever?"

"I have never heard of them, but I am a god. A half-god, for my mother was human and father was a god," Gan arrogantly proclaimed, smirking.

"…If you're a god…" Toni smirked. "…then where's your glowing aura?"

"Huh?"

"Gods have this mystical glow around them whenever they appear. Depending on their god over whatever, like Mars and Aries over war, they had this red aura to them. Since you don't have one, you're not much of a god."

Gan scoffed, glaring at her and crossed his arms. "And this is your gratitude to the one who saved your life?"

Toni laughed, nudging him as they began walking. "You're funny. Why don't you let me see your face?"

Hesitating as they continued to walk down the silent and still streets, Gan looked away as if in shame. He was so much different than her that he did not want her to scream. Gan and his brother previously constructed a malicious storm that broke windows and caused injuries among the mortals. Gan slowly went up to the bandana, fingering it and sighed.

"You…will not be frightened at my appearance?"

Toni snorted. "I have seen many disgusting things in my life. You have cool eyes."

Gan exhaled deeply, tearing off the bandana and tossed it aside, but quickly diverted his look. Toni attempted to look at his face, but he kept swiveling away. Frowning in utmost aggravation, she snatched his arm and turned him around. Gan glanced away as she studied his face in interest. Toni leaned up, chest pressing against him as he reddened vehemently at the sudden intimacy the girl showed.

"Hm, not bad, You're kinda cute," she whispered, winking.

"I-I am?" Gan blurted, blushing immensely as Toni chuckled into her fist.

"C'mon, I've seen way worse guys than you. My dad sells weapons to ugly cops or something, and they're way worse than you." Toni shrugged, and they began walking again.

"You live in this city?" he questioned.

"All my life. Just me and boring New Jersey. My mom lives out in New Zealand, divorced when I was young."

"What is this 'divorce' you speak of?"

"It's when parents leave each other and aren't married anymore." Toni shrugged, arms behind her back with her purse clenched tightly in her black nail polished fingers. At Gan's shocked expression, she gave a weak, short giggle. "Don't worry. I'm fine with it."

"That is so sad," he whispered, glancing down. "I never met my father, and my mother went missing when I was a child. All I have now is my beloved brother, and if I lose him…"

"I'm sorry," Toni suddenly stated, biting her lower lip soon after. "I feel like such an idiot, saying I don't mind, but here you are with no parents at all. It must suck."

"Indeed. It does…suck, as you put it." Gan shyly grinned, leaning forward and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Do not worry about myself. I am merely concerned with getting you home. Safe and without any villain attempting to harm you."

"Aw, that's sweet. I don't even know you, and you just saved my life and want to help me." Toni narrowed her eyes, backing off and quickly pulled out a bottle of mace from her purse. Raising it, she shouted, "I'm not afraid to use this!"

"…What is it?" he asked, leaning forward, poking the bottle's top, accidentally setting it off.

Now, Gan was intelligent on matters such as honor, fighting, and designing storms. However, on current technology and devices of punishment and protection like mace, he was completely clueless.

He screamed as the stream of pain suddenly sprayed into his eyes. Gan held his eyes in searing agony, and Toni shrieked an apology. He rolled along the sidewalk, whimpering as tears fell from him. Toni knelt by him when he finally managed to blink away the pain, and she asked if he was blind.

"I am able to see," Gan muttered slowly. "What was that?"

"Mace. Used to get rid of pervs and stalkers." She shook the bottle before placing it back into her leather purse. "Are you okay? You recovered a lot faster than regular guys."

Gan sighed, sitting up and rubbed his eyes. "Yes, I believe so…That hurt!"

"Even the mighty god Gan feels pain. Maybe I should spray you again to stop your blubbering."

Snatching her purse, he crushed the metal can of mace in his palm and smiled. "Now, you cannot."

"Hey, you jerk! What if some crazy stalker tried to kidnap me?"

"You forget how powerful I am." Gan made a fist, bringing it up to her, and a bright blue sphere appeared around it. Her mesmerized expression filled him with prideful glee. "Anyone that dares to harm you, I shall defeat."

"Sheesh, you're noble. Not like any worthless boy in this city."

They began walking again, mostly in silence. Gan continued to glance over to her, trying to capture her face in his memory like a picture. He found the girl, this "Toni", far more intriguing than other mortal girls. Even her name sparked a rebellious nature. She reminded him of a cat, sly and cool, but also gentle, if fierce. He opened his mouth to speak when she stopped by an apartment building.

"Something troubles you?" he asked in concern.

"This is where my friends live, in these combined apartment complexes. The friends that _bailed on me and made me walk alone!_" she shouted, emphasizing the last words in unbridled harshness.

No reply was made from the apartments. Not even a light was turned onto to acknowledge her. She sighed, looking away, wondering how much of an idiot she just looked like. Gan felt pity for her until she snatched a rock off the ground, reeling her arm back, but he grasped her wrist tightly.

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

"Since they abandoned you, it proves they are not your true friends. To leave you alone in this cruel city, these people are not your friends."

"I know that! You think I'm dumb? I'm not! I know those stupid bimbos are using me 'cause I'm rich!" Toni blurted, ripping her arm free.

They stared at each other, too surprised to speak at her sudden scream. Toni pursed her lips, crossing her arms and turned away. Gan grasped her arm, hearing her begin to sob and brought her into a hug. Toni was a silent weeper, making no sound as Gan embraced her.

"Ya know, if you weren't a god, this would be pretty weird," she murmured.

"To waste your tears on these witches is unwise. They do not matter, and I am certain their beauty cannot measure up to you. I have not seen true beauty until this night," Gan murmured, smiling sweetly.

"You stripped that from Romeo and Juliet."

"What is that?"

She laughed, pulling away and beamed up to him. "A tragedy between star-crossed lovers. Their parents hate each other, and only death brings them together."

Gan gaped slightly, shocked. "Are lovers not allowed to be one?"

"It's just a play, Gan. Not like it can happen in real life." Toni noted his horror, patting his cheek. "Don't worry about it."

Sullenly, he nodded, and they continued walking. "You are kinder than I expected."

Toni frowned, demanding, "What do you mean?"

"Uh, I just believed you would be…well, grateful and leave. Mortal girls are odd."

"We mortal girls are awesome, especially me, Antonia Louise Monetti, but I really prefer Toni."

"Then I shall call you Toni, dear."

She blushed, squirming and clutched her purse tighter to her body. "Dear, hm? You make me sound like we're married. All of my old boyfriends were concerned with the physical part, not the love part. I was to, but-"

"You did not love them, and you gave yourself to them?" he cried, stopping. "Toni, do you not realize how horrid that sounds?"

"So?"

"So! They…you…!"

"It wasn't anything serious. It's not like I threw my body at them."

"But it is like they used you." Gan glanced down to his feet, wondering how she could so…so raunchy! In his village, such indecency would be punished by working months in the fields. Women in his village of Hsuan were married very young, so it was tempting to act out. Gan sighed, and so did she.

"Well, yeah, you're right, but-" Toni stopped when he crossed his arms disapprovingly, and she resisted laughing in his face. "Stop that!"

"Come, Toni, you should not perform such lustful acts." Gan glanced back to the apartment where her supposed "friends" lived. "Unless you wish to be like them."

"That's the last thing I want, Gan." Toni crossed her arms stubbornly, huffing, "I just, I don't know."

Gan sat down on the sidewalk, gesturing for her as well. She hesitated before setting her purse underneath her and sat on it. Finding her tactic peculiar, but he did not question her. She brushed her short, black hair behind her ears, asking why he stopped.

"Thought you were gonna get me home," she added snidely.

"After you tell me of yourself. Why do you search for love in lust?"

"…I…I…" She became quiet, her tone dying after the syllables. Toni's fingers clenched into fists, grinding her teeth and tightening her jaw. She took in and exhaled the same breath before fully facing him. "My dad is, well, not a good person. He says he loves me, but he just buys me thing after thing. All those material objects, heck, he even bought me those friends back there. It fixed my emptiness for a while, but then it would come back for more. My dad just can't love me because he doesn't know what love is. His sense of love isn't love. Do you get where I'm coming from?"

"I understand the sentiment. So you search for love in these boys who do not care for you," Gan replied gingerly.

She nodded solemnly, "It fills me for a little longer than Daddy's gifts, but then it just comes back, and I dunno! Ugh!" Her forehead connected with his shoulder, going silent.

Gan patted her head, grinning. "This may sound strange, dear, but I care for you."

"You…do?" She ripped her head up, eyes connecting with his. "I'm not dreaming, am I?"

"You are very much awake." He stroked her face, smile spreading. "Perhaps we should venture to your home."

Toni nodded, saying, "Yeah, home."

"Where is your mother?"

"Out in New Zealand, modeling." Toni glanced over to a beauty boutique, filled with designer clothes for both genders that Gan could only dream of obtaining. "She travels a lot, but when the divorce was finalized, she stayed there fully. I call her, and we do talk, but it's weird growing up with one parent. It's not normal."

"I agree. I never met my godly father and lived with my mortal mother until she vanished," Gan informed. "My brother and I lived with an honorable elder until his death about two years ago, but I have my brother, and he is all I need." He paused, slapping himself. "Blast it! I forgot to get his sugary spheres!"

"You mean donuts? I can give you some," Toni offered. "If you want."

Brightening considerably, Gan smiled and thanked her. "My brother and I are traveling the world searching for amusement. We live in the clouds, crafting wondrous storms."

"That explains the random thunderstorm during the day. Ruined my hair, by the way." She nudged him, and he chuckled nervously. She pulled out her phone for her purse, dialing a number and waited for an answer. "Hey, Eddie! Breaking up with you! Bye." With that crass and overly cheerful message, she snapped the phone shut. "And that, my friend, is how you leave a relationship based solely on making out."

Gan laughed heartily, patting her shoulder. "How heartbreaking!"

"Tch, Eddie Bloom-whatever won't care. He's been pining for some girl named Rose Wilson." Toni pointed ahead. "There's my house."

"Oh…my…Hsuan…" Gan muttered. "Your home is…grand."

Toni lived in a massive, white and marble mansion. Columns that resembled Ancient Greeks' rose up to keep the mansion from falling over. The lawn was prim and emerald with jade bushes. Flowers sprung up by the bushes, and a black gate surrounded the home. His mouth fell open, slacking as he hunched over. He pointed to her house, staring at her.

"Yup," she replied.

"Truly?"

"Yup."

"Do you not live in those apartments over there?"

Toni laughed, hugging his arm playfully. "Man, you need to chill. It's my house."

"Then…I suppose you are home."

Toni paused, releasing him and backed up. "Oh…yeah…"

They remained quiet, looking away awkwardly. Toni suddenly smiled, hugging him tightly. Gan reddened, eyes turning in white circles before hugging her back. He closed his eyes, sighing. She only came up to the top part of his armor, and he brushed down her somewhat wild hair. They let go of each other, and she unlocked the gate with a key from her purse.

"Hey, hold on. Stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?" she requested.

Gan nodded eagerly, watching her frolic inside. He watched her running backside fade into the night. He gave a short laugh and spun around, too happy for words. The blue elemental remained there, rocking back and forth on his heels and found the girl running back. In her hands was a box of donuts, and she was breathless.

"For your brother. I don't want him murdering you if he doesn't get his sugar," she stated, chuckling a bit.

"Ah, thank you," he replied, laughing.

Toni paused, tapping the box. "Open it."

He stared at her surprise before flipping the cover up. Surprise came to his face, and he retrieved a small lavender card. Reading the back, he overlooked the card to her in shock.

"Tomorrow is your birthday?"

"I'll be fifteen," she giddily explained. "It'll be tomorrow starting at noon. So, can you come? You don't have to bring a present or anything. Just show up." Toni smiled, giggling. "Well? Come on, say you will?"

Gan smirked, nodding. "I will be honored to attend."

"Yes!" Toni suddenly wrapped her arms around his thick neck, laughing.

He froze completely, and her laughter was music. His arms slid around her waist with a genuine smile splitting across his face. Heart racing faster, Gan wondered why. His blood rushed as he held her, and he realized something: Was he this love?

"So, I shall meet you here?" he questioned, wanting to make sure.

"Yeah! Yeah, just show the door attendant this card, and you'll be let in. Also, to make sure you come…" She dug through her purse and retrieved a small ring. Slipping it on, she tapped his nose. "I expect it back tomorrow…which you will do…or I will find you…and break your neck. That's my favorite ring, so…give it back tomorrow."

The eerie smile disturbed Gan, and he laughed, poking the blue quartz. "You do not have to fear. I will be here. May I bring my bro-?" He paused, thinking about his brother's violent tendency, and the fact that he hated mortals. The slightest irritation would send him into a rage and blow up her whole house. "…Uh, actually, my brother would possibly kill everyone, even though I love him dearly."

Toni smirked. "He can come if he wants. Try to keep him on a leash, alright?"

"I…I will. Good night."

"Yeah, good night. See ya tomorrow," she replied, stepping inside. Locking the gate, Toni paused and noticed his saddened expression. Reaching out, she caressed his cheek and sighed blissfully. "Don't worry. I'll see you tomorrow. It's not like this is the last time you're gonna see me."

"I will see you at your party," he replied, taking her hand.

They parted, and Toni backed up to her home, finding it to be the longest walk of her life so far. She glanced over her shoulder, hoping to find a glimpse of him and pursed her lips when he was suddenly gone. Briskly, Toni sauntered into her home.

Gan stood on his cloud, watching her as she entered her home. He stared at the ring, cocking his head and gasped when he heard his name being called. His other name, that is.

"Thunder! Brother!" Lightning excitedly called, flying over and snatched the donut box out of his hands. "You retrieved my sugary spheres!"

"They are called donuts, brother," he stated, now Thunder in his brother's presence.

Lightning laughed, taking out a glazed chocolate one and dashed up to their thundercloud. "Thank you, dear brother!"

"Dear…" Thunder smiled, looking down at the mansion and flew up. "Tomorrow, I will be visiting that home. Will you come?"

Lightning raised an eyebrow, biting his donut. "And do what? Sit there? There is no fun at those…stuffy house engagements."

Thunder frowned. "Well, I met a girl-"

…

The screen went to static, and King Ch'ah proclaimed, "I believe you understand the picture. Thunder is Gan, Argent is Toni. You two met that night, and Thunder did attend your party, but Argent was already teleported here. Too bad he was not sooner so they could be together."

Thunder and Argent froze, looking towards each other. Their minds seemed to wrap around the concept, and Thunder suddenly dug into his pants pocket, pulling out the same ring she had given to him before her birthday.

"I wasn't dreaming? It really happened?" she whispered.

"Toni?" he murmured, looking over to her.

"…Wow, this is awkward," Kole murmured, glancing over to Lightning who looked stupefied.

"…Thunder's has game. Who knew?" Kid Flash stated.

"It truly is reminiscent to a tragedy, getting separated so cruelly," Wildfire added.

"But, my friends, there is one more scene we must attend to," Prysm explained, cutting in. "This scene is our final act, and it is about our final escapade in this world. Where Argent killed over a thousand people."

…

Yes, Thunder and Argent knew each other before any of this! Why? Because it makes for good shipping! Gan/Toni! XD


	11. Memories pt 3

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

Argent stiffened in her seat. It was her turn in the gray spotlight. Her stature was just as bleak with tense muscles, paler skin, and her ruby eyes lost their sparkling luster. The fact the one person in her life that truly loved her was sitting across the table was sitting across the table shocked her almost as much as the "final scene" about to be seen as Prysm daintily placed it. She caught eyes with Thunder, desperately desiring to speak and ask why he fell in love with her those few years ago.

"There is not much time left, so I say we do this quickly," Prysm stated, but stopped at Argent's grief-stricken expression, refusing to meet the princess' eyes. For a moment, she wished to console Argent's distraught heart. Underneath the mask of familial loyalty, Prysm still felt a dying friendship to Argent. In the past, they had not been the best of friends due to differences in their upbringing, but they learned from each other. Close secrets and hugs were shared soon enough after they settled in as part of the rebelling hybrids. Prysm glanced down to her hands, wondering what she was doing by tormenting Argent, her closest friend, with her worst memory. "Wait, Father, must we? Maybe…maybe if…"

"Prysm, if you cannot compose yourself in front of our guests, I suggest you leave," King Ch'ah interrupted curtly.

"But, Father-!"

Ch'ah grasped her shoulder, squeezing it so tightly that she sucked in a long, harsh breath. Prysm felt her body heat up, turning a light shade of pink to expose her embarrassment. Quietly, Prysm stood and left wordlessly.

Being the noble one, Kid Flash glowered over to Ch'ah, remarking, "She could've thrown in her two cents. There wasn't a need to get rid of her."

"I have patience, Kid Flash, but it is slowly slipping. If my daughter cannot obey a simple command like sit, eat, and watch, then she will go," Ch'ah explained, sipping from his gold, wine cup.

"Lightning does not wish to sit here and be ridiculed!" the yellow elemental barked, pointing at him. "There is no purpose to these apparent memories. Certainly, exposing my brother's love was kind, but the-!"

_Brother, stop,_ Thunder thought, taking his hand.

_Nevertheless, why? Why have you lost your will to fight?_

_I have not. It has been renewed._ Thunder paused, adding, _It was Argent who I pined for. She was…is my love, my dear._

Lightning stared at Thunder incredulously. He blinked, going to respond, but hits were cut off by Argent suddenly getting up. "Where are you going, silver wretch? Argent, respond when I speak!"

Argent was colorless, eyes wide in terror. She headed towards the grand hallway that led outside. She glanced over her shoulder, hesitating as he caught eyes with Ch'ah. "I know what you're going to show. I know what I did. I know, I know…I can't change it. I can't alter that I killed-" Her voice broke off, choking on a sob and quickly flew out.

"Toni!" Thunder called, hurrying after her.

"What she did mean by that?" Kole murmured fearfully.

"She said 'killed'," Jinx recalled solemnly, "but whom?"

Lightning stood, watching his brother race after the girl he pined for after years of apparent separation. For a moment, he felt the dreaded envy arouse once more in his chest, but he gasped, recollecting. "I remember…my brother would stand on the edge of his cloud, staring out into the distance as if looking for her. All this time, they were together, but they never realized it. No one did."

"I'm sure that…everything will churn for the better, Lightning," Wildfire replied soothingly.

"I've had it!" Kid Flash shouted, shooting to his feet. "Sitting around and letting that freak control our friends' emotions! He can't do this to us!"

"I can," Ch'ah simply stated.

"Oh, yeah? You're one guy against…" He paused, going to count his friends. "…four Titans and a Tamaranean?"

"You're an idiot," Jinx deadpanned.

"I seem alone, don't I?" Ch'ah stood, tall and proud, towering over them. Snapping his fingers, hideous aliens of all shapes and sizes with scales, multiple body parts, fur, and skin with a shared sense of bloodlust beckoned their master's call. They shredded their cook uniforms, surrounding them. "Unfortunately, you forget that I am the king."

…

"Toni!" Thunder shouted frantically, flying on his cloud through the metallic gold halls. He twisted his head in every chaotic direction. He was met with no opposition, but did not care for the moment. "Argent! Toni! Please, show yourself!"

He flew out to a pair of silver-lined, black doors. His acute hearing picked up murmurs of sobs wracking from whatever was beyond the door, and Thunder quietly opened it. Peering forth, he glanced around to the endless dark purple night. Stars were the same from this planet as they were on Earth. However, the starlight could never measure up to her beauteous glow.

"Toni…" he began, stepping forward.

Argent was situated at the edge of the balcony, overlooking the crystal world. She stood silently, glancing back to acknowledge him with tears streaming down her face. She smirked, wiping her eyes and ebony mascara. "I'm still a silent weeper, Gan."

"I am sorry. I should have known that your name…your face…" Thunder trailed off, knowing he was hurting her by his petty excuses.

"I'm sorry, too," she muttered as he stood by her. "Heck, you're the only blue guy I know besides Kilowatt. That was a dead giveaway, but on my fifteenth birthday, everything changed."

"I went," Thunder stated briskly. "I went to your party strictly at noon to find you missing. I was horrified, Toni. May I still call you Toni or do you prefer Argent now?"

She grinned. "Whatever you like."

"…Dear, then?"

Argent's mouth dropped slightly before she smiled and nodded. "You're so old-fashioned, blue boy. I'm still calling you that, by the way."

"I would not have it any other way." Thunder smiled, brushing her hair back. "So, please, no more tears over this."

"There's also what I did…here…" She looked down to her feet. "…in this very spot is where I murdered so many people."

Thunder gaped at her, slacking in his etiquette. Taking her hand, he pressed on for her to explain. "Still, only if you wish to."

Argent bit the inside of her lip, sighing. "In a second, okay? I honestly wasn't sure if you were real that night."

"Huh?"

"That night, I was little tipsy." Grinning sheepishly, Argent shrugged. "So, after the whole H'san Natall business was over, I was lost. I wasn't sure what was real anymore, and any part of my past just became one huge mess. That fight destroyed the little innocence I had left."

"But I am real." He leaned forward, taking her hand softly and brushed over her knuckles. Kneeling before her, he gently kissed her hand like she was the princess and he was the noble knight, exposing that chivalry was not dead. Thunder reddened bashfully, glancing away. "Um, if that embarrassed you…"

"Gosh, you're adorable," she snickered, pulling him up. "You're the exact opposite of Lightning."

"But what is this 'tipsy' you spoke of?"

Argent blinked, and another meek smile adorned her. "Um…you know…too much drinking?"

Thunder's hand found its way to his forehead.

She burst into laughter as he berated her in exasperation. "Absolutely nothing has changed with you! You're still the same person!"

"I am I," he replied. "Gan, Thunder, blue boy, I am still me."

"So, Argent, Toni, dear mean the same, huh?"

He nodded, patting her shoulder blissfully. "You have not changed at all."

"I…wouldn't say that." She fidgeted, glancing away to his hand on her shoulder. Touching it, Argent gently grasped it, asking, "If I tell you something really bad, you wouldn't hate me?"

"Of course not," he swore earnestly.

"When I was here, I was fifteen. Just a kid, freshly turned with no clue what to do with my life. I had everything, but a real life since everything was just bought for me. I never had to work or dirty my hands. Then I changed. My skin turned silver; my eyes became red. I felt alone, even with Hot Spot and Risk. We met Prysm, too, a bit later. Then King Ch'ah…" Argent shuddered as if from a sudden chill. "…he told us our past, our purpose for being created. It was to destroy the humans. Then I thought of you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. At first, I was onboard with his plan, but if I destroyed the humans, it'd risk losing you. So, we rebelled with a reluctant Prysm and met Loren Jupiter. He taught us how to use our powers and be a team. During this time, the original five Teen Titans met, but we never encountered them because they were on the West Coast, and we were in the middle of America. As a team, we faced Dark Nemesis, General Pylon, and his second-in-command Walter Williams."

Thunder gasped lightly at the mention of his father. He nodded sullenly, asking her to continue.

"We beat them, obviously, and King Ch'ah called Prysm home, saying he changed with her human mother, Queen Miraset…"

…

"Where are those kids?"

Cara Chi, human mother to Thunder and Lightning, grinned and sipped her chamomile tea as Alfonsa Lerado, mother to Argent, stormed over. Cara donned her simple white working dress with her glossy black hair in a ponytail. "Please, I am certain they are fine."

"That Batman bird boy said they haven't checked in for two days or whatever!" Alfonsa groaned. "Oh, Cara, what if they're hurt or worse?"

"Our children and their friends are strong. You must believe in them," Cara urged.

Alfonsa whined audibly, wrapping her silk, white coat around her thin frame tightly. They sat on the couch in Titans South's living room, quietly watching television and waiting for any communication with their children. Cara assigned herself the mission of defending Iron City in place of her sons. Recently, she defeated Katarou when he tried to rob an artifact store with a quick flick of her short sword.

"Cara, what do you think of this? Your son and my daughter, an item? Gan and Toni?" Alfonsa suddenly gushed.

Cara blinked, gawking at the question and nodded. "If that makes them happy, of course, I consent."

Alfonsa hummed, patting the Vietnamese woman's shoulder. "You know, I'm blessed to have you."

"Please, there is no need to feel that way-"

"But I do! When I met you in South Vietnam for a vacation after my horrible divorce, I was dead inside, and you were on the side of the road, literally almost dead. I took you in, and you taught me so many things like compassion, trust, and when my little Antonia came to live with me, you helped her find a spark of life by giving her hope."

"How?"

"Your story of losing Gan and Tavis. She felt so compelled of you losing your children that she realized her life wasn't so terrible here on Earth." Alfonsa winked, chuckling. "Anyway, I'm going out to find a man. Tootles!"

"Wait."

Alfonsa paused, hearing a rapping on the door. Cara stood, unsheathing her short sword she "borrowed" from Hwang when he attempted to kidnap her years ago. Approaching the front entrance, she placed the silver blade in front of her face and unlocked it.

A woman with curly auburn hair wearing elegant emerald and cobalt robes with a startling gold crown stood before her. Her eyes were deep green in color, and the taut smile she wore irked Cara. She was pale as if she had not seen sunlight in a few years.

"And, miss, your name?" Cara questioned suspiciously.

"I am Queen Miraset," she explained, "of the H'san Natall."

"But…but you are human!"

Miraset whisked herself in, and Alfonsa instantly desired Miraset's stylist. "I am. I wish to speak to both of you as you two are the mothers to the hybrids."

…

At the same moment, Thunder and Argent sneezed. In confusion, they looked to each other, blessed their partner, and Argent glanced around for anyone else. Finding no one, she snarled and folded her arms.

"Someone's talking about us," she deducted crossly.

"Indeed," he replied, nodding. "May you continue your story?"

"It's more than a story!" Argent snapped, jabbing her finger in his face. "It's my life."

Thunder gaped silently, raising his hands in defense as she calmed down. Grasping her shoulders, he apologized gently as if she were a small child. Standing beside her, Thunder did not intently stare, but kept his gaze on her ample eyes that were still captivating. Instead of water, Thunder found himself falling into hot, passionate lava, and he loved the scorching burn.

"So, Prysm went home, and we had to get the nimrod back. Jupiter, a richer guy than my dad, had a spaceship and piloted us there, but we were crushed by Ch'ah's army. Hot Spot and Risk were out, and Hot Spot was nearly dead. He suffered head trauma and was unconscious. Risk wasn't as bad, but he had a few broken bones, though. It was just me and Jupiter. He knew my powers weren't enough to fight over a few thousand H'san Natall soldiers, so we flew this ship onto this balcony. It used to be a dock for landing ships, but they shortened it to a balcony, I guess. Jupiter invented this weapon…"

"Weapon?"

"It was a high-powered, super-unstable grenade that worked on full-blooded H'san Natall. Jupiter gave it to me when I was flying over him. He shouted for me to unhook the top and…and drop it…" Argent gripped her hair, trembling and flopped to her knees, Her pupils dilated, frightful and bemused over her treacherous past.

"Argent!" Thunder cried, dropping down and grasped her shoulders tightly, but she refused to meet his sickly worried eyes.

"Ch'ah had his whole army after us. They were gonna kill us. I had no choice. I never had a choice. I did what he said. I dropped that grenade, and it exploded. The sound was deafening, but I still heard them. I heard all of them. The H'san Natall were killed in a fiery explosion, those that were in range, anyway. Ch'ah and your father escaped, but they didn't matter to me. The warriors, the people of the planet screamed in such pain, and all their cries, screams, all their agony pouted into my ears. They were killed because of me. They cursed me, blamed for their deaths. I killed them."

"Argent, please-!"

"I'm a murderer! I killed all of them!"

"_Stop it!_"

She threw her head back up, gasping as Thunder suddenly embraced her tightly. Argent went completely still as the blue elemental hugged her. Her body heated up, and warmness blossomed in her chest, spreading throughout her. Her face was dead set of surprise, eyes wide in shock.

Thunder stroked her hair, keeping her against him and drew shaky breath. "Do not say that. Never say that! You are not a murderer. You only wished to save your friends from death most foul. To me, you are honorable, bold, and an exceptional woman that I wish that you could only see for yourself how precious you to me, your mother, and our friends. Toni, dear, you kept this inside of you for so long, but the past cannot be changed. We make decisions that are not proud of, but my feelings for you have never changed. You altered the course of my life. I…I love you."

Her eyes went wide as Thunder remained there, holding her against his broad chest. For a moment, time stopped. He loved her? After everything she had said and done? To him, she realized her past did not matter. He loved her for being her. Tears popped up by the corners of her eyes, and Argent sniffled, leaning into him and smiled.

"You mean it?" she questioned timidly.

"Every word. I cannot lie to you." Thunder pulled away, pushing her bangs out of her face.

"Ew, nasty."

They jerked their heads to find Hot Spot flying over them in his powered-up form. Charging up his hands, he shook his head as Thunder rose to his feet, doing the same.

"Ya know, Toni, I had a bit of a crush on you." Risk dashed up to the silver-skinned Titan, cupping her face. "I must admit, I'm quite jealous."

"Don't touch me!" Argent hissed, socked him straight in the jaw.

Wobbling back, Risk snarled and cracked his neck. "You little witch! You're gonna pay for that!"

Argent leaped to her feet as Risk slammed his fist into the ground, creating a minor crater. Thunder gasped slightly, surprised the blonde youth could use so much power. Hot Spot shot a torrent of flames in front of him, diverting his attention back to him.

"It's very impolite to leaven an opponent waiting," Hot Spot snickered.

"You do not have to wait any longer!" Thunder snapped, clapping his hands together. A resounding wave of his element ruptured forth, cutting straight into Hot Spot.

He groaned painfully, covering his eyes as he was sent backwards. Flipping himself around, Hot Spot yelped as Thunder threw a beam of his namesake at his head. Summoning his cloud, he leaped on and dashed forth, roaring with another powerful beam. Hot Spot growled, shooting a retaliating wave back. A heated deadlock ensued, and Hot Spot realized his attack was much weaker than Thunder's as his crept along at a steady pace.

"Not bad…for a freaking blueberry!"

Thunder scowled deeply, hating the Moroccan for using that insulting word. For Titans South, that word was Thunder's taboo, and Jinx spat it once during an intense argument between them. It ended with Thunder throwing her down the garbage shoot. Mind muddled in fury, he stopped his attack and surged forward on his cloud above Hot Spot's flames. Snatching his throat, he brought him close to that their foreheads were touching. "Do. Not. Call. Me. _That._"

Hot Spot struggled for breath, trying to pry him off, failing miserably. Smirking, he created flames around Thunder's wrist. Thunder shrieked as the searing pain nearly ripped through his flesh. Managing to pull away in time, Thunder cradled his burning hand.

Before Hot Spot could inflict the final blow, Argent's massive plasma hands clamped around him, covering from his neck and below and smashed him into Risk. Argent flew up to him, checking Thunder's wrist and asked if he was okay. He cringed at his weakness, nodding and looked over her to find a bright purple beam coming straight towards them. Snaking his hand around her waist, he snatched her out of the way just in time, and they watched in awe as the beam slashed onto the balcony right where Hot Spot and Risk were recuperating.

"No!" Argent screamed, but Thunder held her back.

"Toni, you cannot! If you go, you could-!"

"-die?"

A harmony of discoursing, abominable laughter erupted from the throat of the princess. With Fringe holding onto her hand as she levitated, Prysm smiled maliciously with a devious violet coating to her glass body. Hot Spot flew up from the wreckage with Risk clinging to his back.

"Death is an interesting prospect. What is there after we perish? Do we feel our last breath? Is it like a nap, never again to awaken?" Prysm sighed, pleased at their horrified nature. "Shall we find out, Thunder? Argent?"

…

As Thunder and Argent faced their own perils and pasts, the others had their hands tied up with their own troubles. Jinx leaped over the table, blasting a hex that sent the glassware scattering the slice into the H'san Natall. However their thick bodies shielded them from any real injury. Kid Flash dashed over, scooping her up in his arms. Heaving her forward, Jinx unleashed a barrage of fierce hexes that sent the warriors flying.

Over by Wildfire and Kole, the former carried her on his back, and they worked in tandem to blast the fighters away. When they began throwing spears, Kole threw her hands out, inventing a crystal shield that blocked the sharp blades. Wildfire nodded at her in appreciation, sending a starbeam straight through it. The shield amplified the power, sending it as an even larger attack and obliterated the rest of the warriors.

"That settles that!" Kole happily jeered, looking around to three others. She froze, looking around for Lightning and gasped when she realized he was not there. "Where's Lightning?"

"Wasn't he with you guys?" Jinx cried, and the two youngest team members shook their heads.

"Wait, where's the good king?" Kid Flash questioned, noticing the monarch was gone.

"Did he…did he take Lightning?" Kole asked in horror, covering her mouth. "We have to find him before anything happens to him!"

"And Thunder and Argent," Jinx added. "I'm next in charge after Thunder, so I call the shots. Lightning's by himself, so we need to locate him first. Thunder and Argent can handle themselves, but there's also the possibility that Lightning went to search for his brother."

"If we find Lightning, we'll find Thunder and Argent," Kid Flash replied, nodding.

"Argent's not in the best state of mind right now, and we don't know what happened with Hot Spot and the others, Risk and Fringe. Plus, there's Prysm," Kole added. "What if they went after Lightning because he's alone? I hope he's okay…"

Wildfire grasped her in a tight hug, shouting, "Lightning will be okay! After what he has been through, he has to be!"

"Sheesh, aren't you the little Lightning fan boy, hm?" Jinx muttered, rolling her eyes. "Titans, let's go."

…

"Come back here!" Lightning roared, firing another wave of his namesake.

Ch'ah flew faster away from the enraged elemental. Smirking, he swerved around and caught the beam in his hand. Lightning yelped in surprise as Ch'ah sent it back at him, twice the power. Dumbstruck, Lightning was shot backwards with his own attack and slammed into a wall. Ch'ah hovered over him as Lightning groaned, holding his stomach in pain.

"Does it hurt?" Ch'ah taunted, nudging Lightning with is foot.

"You…blasted…" Lightning trailed off, slapping his foot away. "What have you done with my brother?"

Ch'ah kneeled down by Lightning, grinning wickedly and retrieved a black collar from his wrist. Lightning's eyes widening in horror, recognizing it was the same worn by Hot Spot, Fringe, and Risk that allowed them to be controlled. Transmuting his lower half, he dashed over the king and landed a few feet away.

"Very nimble, aren't you, little imp?" Ch'ah chuckled. "You are much like you father."

"Do not compare me to him!" Lightning shrieked, charging up his hands.

"But there is something you lack. Your father and brother shared a sense of judgment, a quality you lack. Yes, your brother should make a fine general. I'm certain your father would agree."

"Our father repented his vile deeds! My brother and I not going to become your slaves! Nor is he going to become any sort of general!" Lightning brought his hand up to his face, illuminating his insanity and lust for battle. "Now, King Ch'ah, let us battle!"

"You'd rather fight me than save your brother? Suit yourself. It is not like there is any redemption for what he will do."

Lightning hesitated, lowering his hand, demanding slowly, "What do you mean?"

Ch'ah merely grinned, shaking his head. "He will come to us. We will force him to. We will strip him of something very dear, poison his mind with rage, and he will be my general." Bringing up the collar once more, he asked, "I will present you a choice: Either fight me and die or join me and live. You will be my Lieutenant General, after Major General Argent."

"Not on my honor would I ever join you!"

"Alright, if that is your decision…" Ch'ah slipped the collar back onto his wrist and levitated in the air. "…shall we do battle here or after your brother becomes mine?"

"My brother would never-!"

"He does not love you. He loves Argent."

Lightning froze, losing his stature. He shivered, shaking his head as Ch'ah approached him. "You…are lying…You have to be."

"No, child. I am not. He admitted his love to Argent."

"My brother loves me…far more…far mo-" Lightning stopped, mouth slacking in horror and snatched the collar. Rage beseeched him, and he breathed heavily, rueful of his brother. "He loves her, does he? Fine, brother! You wish for a fight…" Lightning smirked, sharing one with Ch'ah. "…I will defeat this fool for you, my brother"

"What?" Ch'ah cried as Lightning slapped his hand onto his face and sent a paralyzing shock that ran straight through his body. Crying out, he shoved Lightning away and fell to the floor.

Lightning smirked, taking the collar and broke it. Throwing it to the ground, he stamped on it. It cracked in multiple pieces, and just to aggravate Ch'ah, Lightning twisted his foot to destroy it even more. Smirking, Lightning charged up his hands and readied himself to fight.

"Deceitful," Ch'ah mused. "Very clever, Lightning. I hadn't expected that, but your defiance is annoying. So, I will have your brother destroy you."

…

Yes, back to the action! We have romance now, more violence and Ch'ah's plan is finally going into effect? What is it, you ask? That would spoil the story if I tell you. So…be quiet. XD Review, please!


	12. Limit

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

"Why are you doing this?" Argent demanded.

"This is for our people, Antonia! How can you not understand?" Prysm barked.

"You are human as well, Prysm," Thunder countered. "Do not forget."

"Princess? Can I shut him up?" Fringe growled.

"Hold on for a moment, Fringe." Prysm held her hand out, only enraging him more as he denied the chance to smash something. "I'm going to tell you what is going on. My needs a new general, and Thunder, he's chosen you."

Thunder gasped, rearing back in shock. "Me? Why?"

"Your initiative impressed King Ch'ah. You were able to lead a team whenever Argent wasn't, and our king hopes that you will rise up to lead his army," Hot Spot explained as Risk smirked. "That judgment you and your father share is so similar, so calculative and precise that you are able to save your soldiers without casualties. The old saying is usable: like father, like son."

"I am not joining you," Thunder vowed nobly.

"Truthfully, you don't have a choice," Risk admitted with a joyful leer. "Just like Argent when she dropped that grenade."

"It was to save you ungrateful punks!" Argent snapped.

"Oh, but I am grateful you saved them, but Risk and you are wrong. There are choices in everything, and you could have run away," Prysm stated.

Argent flinched, biting her lip. She only killed those thousands of people because they were going to slaughter her and the others. If she ran away, she would have easily been shot and killed. If she did flee, she would have been brandished a coward and traitor to both sides. Shaking her head, Argent crossed her arms and shook her head.

"Listen, you wench, the only reason we came back was to save your sorry ass!"

Thunder stared at her volatility as the others gasped in collective surprise. He chuckled, patting her shoulder. "A most amusing point, dear."

Argent smiled. "Thanks, blue boy. Honestly, she has been a pain in the ass lately. She needs a good spanking."

Prysm exploded in rage, turning a fiery crimson. Flares of red and orange surged quickly throughout her glass frame. The boys winced at her sudden fury, having never seen her so frantic with outrage. Pointing her finger, she seethed, "You insensitive-Urgh! I hate you!"

"Someone's mad," Argent sneered. "How's your wrist, Thunder?"

Thunder glanced back to his burnt wrist. Covering it, he told her not to worry and smiled.

"You sure? We can just try to escape and-"

"You two ain't goin' anywhere!" Hot Spot shouted. "You two will be our generals whether you like it or not!"

"Two generals?" Thunder blurted.

Fringe smirked. "The dumb blueberry-!"

Thunder shot out a beam, impaling Fringe square in the chest. Fringe screamed as he was thrown out into space before scooping downwards far away. His cry lasted until he was out of earshot, and it was probably still going. Everyone stared until the werewolf-like hybrid was out of sight. Argent patted Thunder's shoulder as he fumed.

"Easy, blue boy," she cooed. "Don't let the nasty pain in the ass and her cronies bother you."

"That was the second time someone referred to me as that type of berry. Do not let there be a third," Thunder warned, clenching his fist.

"Blue-!"

Argent snatched Risk up in her plasma hand and repeatedly bashed him against the castle. "Are you bloody deaf, you dumb blonde? He just said to not call him that, idiot!"

Thunder gazed at Argent as she dropped Risk on his face who began moaning for his mommy. Smiling in exasperation, he thanked her.

"No worries. I can't have some stupid punks being mean to my boyfriend."

"…Boyfriend? Wait…you mean…?"

Argent rolled her eyes as he attempted to figure out what she meant, even though stars were already dancing his eyes. Snatching the back of his head, she stated very bluntly, "You're kind of stupid when it comes to these things, aren't you?"

With that, she pulled him down and kissed him.

Thunder was officially in Heaven-

-then Prysm blasted Argent away.

"Toni!" Thunder cried as Hot Spot flew out in front of him. "Stand aside, Hot Spot!"

"Sorry, 'blue boy', but we need our generals immediately. Once you're like us, everything will be perfectly clear," Hot Spot jeered.

"I told you to move, and you refuse, so I will make you move," Thunder snarled, charging up his fists.

Over with Argent, she groaned and held her head in agony. Glaring up to Prysm who flew at her with impeccable speed, Argent levitated, power illuminating in her hands. Prysm stopped a few yards in front of her, locking rage-filled eyes with another set of matching red ones.

"I'll give you one last chance, Antonia," Prysm hissed.

"You interrupted my time with the first person to ever truly love me. There's no chance in hell am I joining!" Argent shouted, throwing out twin whips of plasma and snatched the princess' wrists.

Rendered useless, Prysm struggled to free herself, but Argent whirled her around. Spinning faster and faster, Argent grunted, snapping the whips away and sneered as Prysm screamed. The heir to the H'san Natall crashed against the castle, breaking through the glass and metal wall. She landed on a red, velvet carpet where servants gossiped. The workers hurried to help her, but Prysm shoved them away and roared savagely.

Argent gasped, remembering the shy, naïve girl she met back in that computer, holographic world. Prysm was uncertain of herself back then, clueless and easily manipulated. Her father placed her there in order to preserve her mind as innocent and childish-heck, he even gave her a dragon to play with-so she could be taken out and molded into a fierce warrior and future ruler. Argent wondered what happened to that simplistic girl, blankly gazing at Prysm only to realize a red beam was coming her way.

Yelping, Argent ducked out of the way. Prysm rammed her foot into Argent's stomach, snatching her bangs for balance. Argent's breath was lodged out of her throat, eyes bulging from her skull. Falling back slowly, she winced as Prysm socked her straight across the face. Argent fell back, holding her throbbing cheek as Prysm laughed insanely.

"I'll beat you like a rag doll and throw you back to your precious boyfriend!" Prysm shrieked blissfully.

_This isn't the Prysm I used to know!_ Argent thought in horror. "What in the world did that man do to you?"

To Thunder, he heard every single world, snatching Hot Spot's head in massive hand. Looking back to Argent, he back-fisted him across the face. Hot Spot grunted, falling over and held his nose. Shouting at Thunder to stop playing around, he grimaced as the blue elemental snarled down to him.

"Why do you fight for King Ch'ah?" he demanded.

"Because he is…um…We do…uh…" Hot Spot paused, looking around for support, but found none. What was he fighting for? "We obey our king…It's his plan, not our part to question him."

"How foolish! You follow the mad king, only knowing a quaint portion of his devious plot!" Thunder snapped.

"Once you two join us, he'll tell us everything!" Hot Spot retorted. "Just shut up, and do it!"

"Never."

"You don't have a choice on the matter."

Thunder gasped, looking over his shoulder to find Risk directly beyond him, balancing himself on the balcony's railing. Risk smirked, aiming his fist to Thunder's head, but he sidestepped only to be blasted with a torrent of flames. Thunder grunted, blown backwards, but summoned his cloud just in time.

"You forgot that I have five times the abilities of normal humans," Risk informed snidely.

"Two against one, hm? How dishonorable," Thunder remarked.

"Who cares about honor? You're in our game," Hot Spot sneered, shooting forward.

Before he could attack, Prysm came swerving between the combatants with Argent in tow. Noticing Risk, she slapped him straight the across, stated he deserved to be eaten by a Yeti, and dashed back after Prysm. She returned seconds later to kiss Thunder's cheek before shooting another plasma beam for Prysm's head.

Thunder blushed, smiling dazedly and grasped Hot Spot's face again. Throwing him over his shoulder, Thunder smashed his knuckles into Risk's jaw. Their cries of horrific agony went unnoticed to him.

So this was love!

"Idiots! I have to do everything myself," Prysm grumbled.

"Prysm, stop," Argent commanded evenly. "It's inevitable you'll lose."

Rolling her eyes, the princess hissed, "Don't be foolish. You'll be the one who loses!"

"Prysm, you're just hurting yourself. You're using our friends to try and take over everything. It's not you. You were Audrey Spears to us, a kind, sweet girl who would do anything to help her friends."

"Who cares about your sense f morals? You're not that innocent yourself! The H'san Natall is the superior race, and we will win!" Prysm turned the darkest shade of red: blood-colored and unleashed a thick stream of that color into a compressed energy wave.

Argent didn't stand a chance. Her scream echoed through the globe along with Prysm's mocking laughter. She remained levitating in a world of pain. It was like someone stabbed a hundred knives inside her and wrenched them around at the same time. This was the agony felt by the H'san Natall, the ones she killed. It was their revenge for her to feel the same despair, singing her skin and burning her flesh. When the assault stopped, Argent was still in the air, mouth gaping and eyes glazed.

Slowly, her head flopped forward, and she plummeted to the ground. Her vision became a swirling kaleidoscope of colors, swapping vastly and imminently as her sight dropped with her body. Her head was on a direct crash course to the crystal stalagmites below that surrounded the castle.

Thunder swerved out on his cloud, skidding to a stop and caught the half-conscious girl in his arms. Flying up to another balcony, he frantically cried for her to look at him. She was colder than ice, eyes bleary and tried to grasp onto him. Taking her hand, Thunder already felt tears prop in his eyes.

"Gan?" she whispered woozily.

"Stay with me, please, dear," Thunder urged. "Remain strong."

"Hey! Get back here, you-!" Risk stopped as Prysm came down to him, touching his shoulder.

"Don't antagonize him. He's breaking," she replied.

Hot Spot hesitated, glancing up the balcony, asking, "Will he be stable? What about Argent? Prysm, you went too far. She could be dead."

"Don't question the king's motives, flamehead," Risk joked, slapping his friend's arm jestingly. "His Highness told us to do anything and everything in our power to get them over to our side. Prysm was just doing what she was told like a good little princess."

"Well, that blast could have killed her. She'd be useless if she were dead," Hot Spot argued sheepishly.

Prysm shot him the harshest glare she could muster. "As Risk said: Don't question the king. You will die if he suspects any sign of treason."

Hot Spot gulped, glancing down and away. "Yes, princess. I'm sorry."

As Hot Spot was berated, Thunder felt tears drip from his ears. This was not happening. They were finally together, foolish to be so blind as to not realize they were by each other's side this whole time. The Titans reunited them, even if they had not understood it. It wasn't fair. Why was fate always conspired against him?

"Don't…be sad. I'll be…alright," Argent sputtered, coughing soon after.

"I am sorry," Thunder whimpered, shuddering as she cuddled into him. "Please…please stay with me this time."

"I'll try so…stop that face…Blue boy?"

"Yes?"

"I love you…"

Argent's head suddenly rolled sideways, strength depleted. She went limp in his arms, appearing like death's bite crunched into her neck with a vampire's fury. Expressionless, stiff, but not fully dead, Argent looked like she was having a long-needed nap, almost never to awaken.

Thunder froze, staring at her in terror. His mouth dropped as he fruitlessly tried to stir her. His cries became louder for her to awaken, but she did not heed them. Panic consumed him as he almost violently shook her shoulders. Everything failed.

His heart stopped, and his blood ran cold. Something snapped in Gan "Thunder" Williams. Something bad just broke free as he screamed in absolute distraught.

"Well, Thunder," Prysm started, flying up with the others, "it seems like we've reached your limit."

"Limit?" Thunder repeated in confusion. He shook, continuing to gaze at Argent. Gently, he placed on her on the crystal balcony and wept. Suddenly, he began chuckling in a, oddly pitched, discoursing tone octaves higher than his normal voice. Throwing his head back, he roared with unnerved, completely insane laughter. Staggering to his feet as he continued his twisted jeers, he covered one-half of his face with his hand, shrieking, "Limit! I will show you my limit!"

"Nice going, princess. You just _had_ to rile him up," Hot Spot muttered as Risk nodded in agreement.

Thunder snatched Risk by his face and bashed him against the balcony's railing repeatedly. Risk's nose broke, gushing blood as he wailed for him to stop in a nasally, low-pitched voice, but Thunder was gone, far beyond the reaches of help. He lusted for vengeance, craved for them to understand and feel the same agony they thrust on Argent. They would pay! All of them would pay for his dear's pain!

He shot Hot Spot out of the sky, sending him spiraling towards the stalagmites. As he tried to recollect himself, Thunder continued to smash him down with his namesake, impaling him with such raw energy, Hot Spot lost his form. Back to normal, Hot Spot's scream echoed as he was lost in the shadows of the ground below.

"_You,_" Thunder hissed, glancing over his shoulder to Prysm. "You caused all of this. This is your fault. Your fault. Your fault! You will regret ever challenging Thunder!"

"You could have killed them! Maybe you did for Isaiah!" she wailed in terror, trying to steady Risk who fell over and down for the count.

He laughed wickedly, crazily as he aimed a punch to her face. Prysm gasped, dodging but Thunder quickly crouched and kicked her feet out. Grunting, Prysm fell backwards, and Thunder snatched her throat. A large, rueful smirk plagued the previously gentle elemental's face.

"My limit, you say? We have reached your limit, you pain in the ass!"

Suddenly, a plasma hand clamped around his arm and reeled him back. Gasping, Thunder felt his sense slowly returning to him, but his madness still ruled as a second hand snatched his other arm. Struggling to kill Prysm, Thunder grunted and snarled, cursing Prysm like a sailor.

"You witch! Madwoman! Maniac! You obey your father without realizing the pain he is bestowing! You harmed my dear! Prysm, you will suffer! You! Will! Suffer!"

Prysm took this in shock, too stunned for words as if she were struck with his brother's namesake However, she knew he would break the millisecond he saw his captor. She merely smirked, knowing she infuriated him even more.

"Do not mock me!" he screamed. "You are nothing, Prysm, but a fool! A blasted fool!"

"Turn around, and we'll see who the fool is," she stated. "Good work, Fringe, getting Argent while she was down."

Thunder stared in horror as he realized that it was Argent who kept him pinned down on his knees. A black collar was around her neck, covering her choker. Fringe stood behind her, casually waving to taunt the blue Titan. Thunder froze as Argent kept him in place. Her eyes were soulless, empty of all human compassion. This was no longer Argent, but some emotionless clone. He let her become controlled. By losing himself, he let her down.

"No…no…" he continued to murmur in overwhelming fear. "Toni…Damn you, Prysm!"

"You let her down. You failed her," Fringe hissed, smirking.

"Shut up! Shut up!"

"Princess, you may do the honors since I got our Major General intact."

"Thank you, Fringe." Prysm removed an ebony collar from her wrist.

Kneeling in front of Thunder, she gaped, realizing he was ready to sob if anyone else was taken from him. Cheeks already stained wet with tears, Thunder looked down and cried harshly. He took ragged breaths, hating himself for showing such weakness in front of his tormenter. Meekly, he cursed her and shook his head disdainfully. Prysm felt pity for him and touched his shoulder, knowing he would not be able to retaliate.

"First, I place this on. Then, it makes you learn obedience to my father. Finally, it turns your mind to serve. This is your last moment as an oppressor. Soon, you will be General Thunder. It is exactly like the old saying Isaiah said: like father, like son," Prysm explained, smiling angelically.

Thunder struggled, crying out to Argent to fight against the control. Unfortunately, his calls went unheard as Prysm suddenly unhooked the collar and wrapped it around his neck. He had one final plea to make, squeezing his chest shut as the collar snapped around his thick neck and stripped him of his freedom.

_Brother, help me!_

…

Lightning froze, gasping as the thought ran through his head. Something happened to his brother as his brother's voice, filled with agony and fear, rushed through his head. _Brother, what is happening?_

No response.

_Brother? Thunder, where are you? Brother!_ Lightning gasped, opening his eyes to find King Ch'ah chuckling at his failed attempts. "What have you done? My brother called out to me in such excruciating fear! Tell me what you have done!"

"A telepathic link? Interesting," Ch'ah mused, tapping his chin in thought. "Walter must have unlocked it in his final hour."

"Answer me!"

"Lightning!"

Kole seemed to come from nowhere, dropping down from Wildfire's back and hugged him tightly. Lightning blushed at the sudden and warm embrace before groaning and snapping at her to let go. Startled, Kole stumbled backwards, and Wildfire berated him that she was only worried. Lightning hesitated, gripping his ears and murmured for his brother, trying to contact him as veins bulged on his temples. Everything thought was intent on finding Thunder, locating him in his mind, but Thunder would not respond. A sickness enveloped in his chest, spreading out to the rest of his body as Kid Flash ran in with Jinx in his arms.

"My brother…what have you done with him? He sounded so frightful!" Lightning cried. "What have done, Ch'ah?"

"He and Argent have become mine," the monarch sneered.

"No! You're lying!" Kole barked.

"They wouldn't have given up so easily!" Kid Flash added.

"Titans, go!" Jinx shouted. "…Wow, that does sound lame."

Before they could move, Ch'ah suddenly became one with light, rendering himself invisible. They recognized the tactic as one of Prysm's, trying to locate him in awe. A fist smashed Kid Flash across the face, and he toppled onto the floor with a grunt.

"You coward, hiding behind dishonorable tricks!" Lightning cried as Wildfire helped Kid Flash up.

"Yes, I can see…My generals have arrived!" Ch'ah laughed in sheer amusement.

"Show yourself!" Wildfire ordered.

"Soon, boy, soon. Guards!"

The walls seemed to rip open like doors. H'san Natall warriors flooded in, weapons brandished and surrounded the five.

"Aw, man," Kid Flash muttered. "Not again!"

"We do not have time for such mockery!" Lightning roared, charging up his hands.

"Lightning, wait!" Jinx shouted, taking out a small, gray ball from her jacket. "Lightning, Wildfire, when I throw this, grab us and fly to the nearest window!"

"Why?" the prince asked.

"Just do it!" Jinx shrieked, chucking the ball to the ground.

Lightning and Wildfire did not question her, snatching up their teammates as the hallway flooded with thick, black smog. The warriors screamed, randomly waving their swords and fired off their laser guns, killing each other. Lightning realized that Wildfire had Kole in his arms with Jinx on his back. Frowning, he threw Kid Flash at the prince and snatched Kole for himself. Kole narrowed her eyes.

"You shoved me," she remarked.

"May we speak about how much of a fool I am to shove such exquisiteness as you away in a later time?" Lightning growled.

"…Okay," Kole blankly replied, surprised Lightning would call her "exquisite". Her face reddened, leaning into Lightning's chest and looked over to his shoulders. "When'd you get broad shoulders?"

"Hm?" Lightning glanced to both shoulders, realizing they had straightened out more. "I have not noticed…I am surprised you have though. Ah, you are 'checking me out' as Jinx would say."

Kole snorted. "Ew, not on your life."

Wildfire scrambled as Kid Flash landed on his back. "You _zordmorking clorbag, _Lightning!"

"Fight each other later! Get to the window!" Jinx commanded as the smoke rose up.

Kid Flash bashed a window open, and Lightning flew out first with Wildfire quickly in tow. "Where to now?" the speedster asked.

"We need a plan to find Argent and Thunder. We have no idea where they are, but we need to find refuge for tonight," Jinx stated.

"Refuge! As in, leave my brother with that mad king? I refuse!" Lightning barked.

"Keep your voice down, moron," Jinx hissed, pointing her polished fingernail to his nose. "It's too late to search for them. In the morning, Lightning, I promise."

Lightning groaned, frowning before sighing and conceded. Patting both of Lightning's shoulders, Wildfire beamed up to him, stating everything would be okay. Then Kid Flash pointed out that he just let Jinx plummet to her death by letting go of her to touch Lightning. Yelping, Wildfire shot down like a rocket with Kid Flash clinging to his back to save her.

"I am sorry for shoving you," Lightning murmured as he descended with Kole.

"It's okay. You were just worried about finding Thunder. He'll be okay, Zap," Kole urged.

"But…I cannot feel him anymore…"

"What do you mean?"

"My brother I share a bond, but I feel like he simply…is not here anymore." Lightning sighed, landing around hundreds of light blue crystallized stalagmites. "These resemble you, and they also shine in a similar light, but your glow is much brighter."

"…Are you flirting with me?"

Lightning smirked, dropping her on her back and casually stepped over her to watch Jinx pound Wildfire over the head. "Do not be 'forward' in asking such precarious questions, crystal witch. I may be, and I may not be."

Kole seethed, stamping her foot as Lightning chortled. "Don't you walk away from me! I'm talking to you, you banana!"

"Lightning is not a fruit!"

"You might as well be since you have them for brains!"

"I do not!"

"Do to!"

"If you two even think about arguing, I'll curse you both into the next century!" Jinx shrieked, hands flown blown with pinks hexes, causing shards of the stalagmites to crash around the two.

Kole and Lightning clung onto each other fearfully with the former wrapping her legs around his waist. They smiled meekly, shaking their heads and sat down as Jinx fumed and went back to Kid Flash.

"…She scares me," Kole whispered.

"Attempt to live with her. She does not even come out of her room," Lightning muttered.

"But I love her!" Kid Flash jeered, bouncing up between them and scared the living hell out of them.

Kole suddenly punched Kid Flash in the stomach as a reflex. He grunted, falling to his side and held himself in agony. Lightning and Wildfire burst into laughter, congratulating her for defeating the annoyance. However, once they realized this, they glared at each other and turned away.

Jinx sighed and shook her head. "We're screwed."

…

"Are you two ready?" Ch'ah asked.

There was no reply, but two heads nodding.

"Their armor?"

"Here, sire," Fringe replied, bringing up two rectangular cases.

"Excellent. General Thunder, Major General Argent, welcome to your army."

…

Oh noes, they got Thunder and Argent! What will the others do and how will they react? Stick around to find out! Oh, God, I sound like one of those wannabe-anime shows. Please review!


	13. Generals

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

Kid Flash could not sleep. His arms were behind his head, gazing up to thousands of illuminating stars. There was no moon on his planet, sending shrouds of shadows along the crevices of the stalagmites. A somber sigh escaped his lips, sitting up and gazed to his friends. Kole and Wildfire huddled up over by the same stalagmite, appearing like little kids. Smirking, Kid Flash realized it was the prince's attempt to arouse jealousy in Lightning. Shaking his head, he grinned down to Jinx who curled up next to him. She appeared like an angel, arm underneath her head with her lips strewn shut. Brushing her cheek, Kid Flash chuckled as she shifted slightly.

"You are still awake?"

He found Lightning sitting away from the group by a stalagmite. Surprise flooded his face briefly before Kid Flash rushed over and sat by him.

"Why're you still up, Zap?" he joked.

Lightning sighed mournfully. "My brother…his fate troubles me. As you know, we share a link that allows us to communicate through thoughts, but his last call to me was a plea. He shouted, 'Brother, help me', but there was nothing I could do to save him. I feel so weak. It is just like before."

"What do you mean?"

"I was not able to save him from the hands of our father. I watched him die, Wallace. I feel so…so helpless once more." Lightning slammed his fist into the crystal, grunting. "I despise this! Thunder could very well be dead!"

Kid Flash snatched his shoulders, snapping. "He's not dead! Don't even think that! You're brothers! You'd know if he was dead!" 

Lightning grumbled, crossing his arms childishly. "But I cannot help him in his time of peril!"

"But we can rescue him." Kid Flash smirked confidently, patting his shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll find Thunder and Argent, and we'll be a team again, a family."

"Family? We are a family?"

"Yeah, man, you're the bratty oldest son; I'm the adorable youngest son, and Jinx is responsible middle child. Thunder and Argent are like our parents since they're our leaders. Kole, Wildfire, and Gnarrk are like our wicked close cousins." Kid Flash ruffled Lightning's hair, leaning close with a smile. "So, quit whining. You sound like a chick."

"But I am not a baby fowl," Lightning countered in confusion.

"I meant a girl."

Gasping in outrage, Lightning growled at him as Kid Flash snickered. "For a boy who can utter such bold statements, you are a fool."

"Love you, too," he sarcastically quipped, lying back. "Well, I'm gonna try and get some sleep. You'll need it more than any of us." Getting up, Kid Flash went back over to Jinx, lying next to her and drifted off.

Lightning watched his companion fall asleep. A small smile split slowly across his face. Lying back, he thought of his brother, and all of their times together which was everyday of his life. They were always together except for a separated period that involved their father and Adeline Kane, but Lightning never dwelled on that as it brought too many horrific thoughts of his brother's death and revival. Removing his armguard, he stared at a gold chain and locket that hung around his wrist. Flipping it open revealed a picture of his beloved twin when he was eight-years-old with the words 'live for him' next to his photo. He remembered the day he received the photograph vividly, taken by their other father, Chan To, on a train to China. Chan suggested they always keep a photo of each other in their empty bracelets to give each other a comforting reminder of somebody who will always love him. Holding it to his chest, Lightning got to his knees and clenched it tightly with his fists.

_Hsuan above, please, protect my brother…_

…

"It's time," Jinx stated sullenly as the four gathered around her. "Feels like my old days when I was leading the Hive Five."

"Except you're not stealing," Kid Flash pointed out, "which is a good thing."

"I know, but back to serious matters. Thunder and Argent have been taken prisoners. There's also the possibility that they…aren't among us."

"Lies," Lightning hissed.

Jinx glanced over to the yellow Titan and reluctantly nodded. "Okay, fine. They aren't dead, but they could be-"

"No," he stated quickly.

"Lightning, stop interrupting me!" Jinx shouted vehemently.

"I am only referring to the knowledge we all know. You are wrong." Crossing his arms adamantly, he snarled, "My brother would never join the mad king. Do not insinuate such insane suggestions."

Jinx shook her head in annoyance, growling. "Fine! Here's the plan, but Lightning, shut up! First, Kid Flash will be our distraction. Unarm any and all potential threats. Then, Lightning and Wildfire will take and Kole in. We'll go for Ch'ah. If we defeat the leader, the army will crumble."

"Yay! We will be able to save our friends, right?" Wildfire asked energetically.

Jinx nodded, smiling at his youthful nature.

"How joyous!"

Lightning grinned, nodding and picked up Kole bridal style. "Shall we go? I refuse to wait any longer."

"Titans, go!" Jinx commanded.

"That sounds weird coming from you," Kole commented.

"Shut up and move," Jinx grumbled as Wildfire lifted her into the sky with Kid Flash on his strong back.

The morning rays were spreading through the horizon. Unlike Earth, the sun was pure crimson was flares of orange. Temperatures skyrocketed to over a hundred, nearing two hundred in certain areas of the warmongering war. The coolest part was the Stalagmite Castle, home to King Ch'ah, reaching a perfect seventy on account they controlled the weather with machines. They were grateful for that small token of luck, but they feared the unknown battle ahead.

Lightning found no clouds in the sky, worsening his mood. There was no cheery blue sky, but it was a startling yellow like his skin. Biting his lip, Lightning was brought back down from morbidity's grip by Kole who touched his neck.

"He'll be okay," she stated confidently.

"Thank you. Your reassuring tone is vastly appreciated." Lightning smiled. "Your eyes are like Kid Flash's, filled with bravery. How can you hold onto it?"

"Just gotta think that everything will work out. The positive will get you through anything, Zap."

Lightning nodded. "Yes, you are right."

"Stalagmite," Wildfire stated as Lightning rammed into it.

"Hsuan above, kill this child!" Lightning screamed, holding his bruised nose.

"Wow! I'm unharmed!" Kole gushed, holding her face.

"Do not tempt Lightning to drop you!" he hissed as the other three laughed.

"Okay, the good laugh is over," Jinx ordered. "The castle's in sight."

The lightheartedness faded as the light blue and silver castle came closer and closer in sight. Lightning held Kole tighter to his chest as a reflex, and Kole hugged onto him. She gazed out in a mix of awe and fear in her enormous cobalt eyes.

"Friends? What if-?"

"No, Wildfire," Kid Flash interjected. "Don't doubt us now. That downing personality will ruin us."

"Oh, sorry…but what if-?"

"Shut it," Jinx commanded bluntly.

"But what about-?"

"Shut up!" Lightning screamed suddenly, head snapping over to Wildfire like his namesake. "If you do not silence your mouth, I will silence it for you!"

Everyone went still, looking at Lightning who appeared ready to slaughter Wildfire and rip his head off for fun. The Tamaranean squirmed at his animosity, feebly apologizing, which the yellow Titan accepted. Wildfire continuously glanced over to Lightning and Kole, and the all hovered by the castle. He desired to make good with the furiously troubled elemental. However, he knew his sorry would fall on half-listening ears as Lightning was too immersed in vengeance to save Thunder.

"Kid Flash, when the guards are confused and weaponless, call us in," Jinx stated, bringing out her Titans communicator. "Good luck."

"Thanks Jinx." He smiled, and so did she. "There is it, that smile I love."

With those sentimentally departing words, Kid Flash leaped off Wildfire's back and skidded down the stalagmite like a skateboarder grinding on a rail. In a flurry of red and yellow, he was off like a torpedo.

Kid Flash barraged through the crystal doors like a wind burst. Weapons were smashed down, and the guards scrambled to pick them up, but Kid Flash, naked to their eyes, held his arm out and tripped them up. Smirking, he rushed towards the main throne room and stopped in front of the befuddled guards.

"Hey, guys. How ya doin'?" he asked amicably before punching them out rapidly. Whipping out his communicator as the guards fell unconscious, he pressed for his team's communicators, sniggering, "Coast is clear, my friends. Come on down."

…

They stood in the basement of the castle. Fringe, Risk, and Hot Spot saluted the two as they approached. Prysm materialized in front of them, being invisible. She looked to them and then to her friends.

"Status report," the first feminine voice stated.

"Kid Flash has infiltrated the castle, and he is calling in the others," Risk reported.

"How quickly are they coming?" the second one demanded, voice baritone.

"Outer guards are calling in," Hot Spot informed, holding down an earpiece in place. "I'm getting word that they just came in through the window."

The two sneered at each other, making Prysm cringe. The first ordered for them to round them off in the throne room.

"Prysm, accompany them. We must prepare," the first commanded before she pivoted away with the second. "Defeat Jinx. She's the leader, thus, the backbone. Without the backbone…"

"…the team will collapse," the second finished sneering, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I understand," Prysm replied. "She's the leader after all."

…

"Come on, what took ya?" Kid Flash jeered.

"Not all of us are hyperactive nimrods," Jinx countered, but Lightning blasted the door down, shouting for Ch'ah, "I stand corrected."

"Show yourself, coward!" Lightning screamed. "Face me like a warrior! Unless you truly are a pig hiding in the mud!"

"The king doesn't need to see your filth!" Fringe snapped, coming in from the opposite direction with Hot Spot, Risk, and Prysm.

"Where is my brother?" Lightning snarled.

"New look, huh? Looks kinda lame, if you ask me," Kid Flash sneered.

Risk, Hot Spot, and Fringe donned pure white armor that covered their neck to their toes. They had matching chest plates that covered down to their stomachs along with pants-like metal on their legs. They had varying stars on their armor to show their rank. Colonel Hot Spot had three stars, and Lieutenant Colonels Risk and Fringe had two stars.

"We are soldiers of King Ch'ah Royal Army. We serve directly under our generals. Ranking her is different than Earth's," Hot Spot explained, powering up.

"What generals?" Kole asked aggressively.

"You'll see, cutie," Risk sneered.

"Get them!" Prysm commanded.

Fringe roared, smashing the ground with is claws, making it shake like an earthquake. Kid Flash wobbled, but managed to dash out and leap onto his back. Pushing him forward, Kid Flash created a spiraling tornado by spinning his arm at sonic speed and impaled Fringe into the ground.

Jinx danced around with her hexes, making gold ceiling ornaments like chandeliers and bars crash around their attackers, but the other three nimbly darted away. Risk bashed his fists through the debris, leering flirtatiously to Kole. Smirking, he flexed his muscles in front of Kole.

"You like, baby doll?" he jeered.

Wildfire and Lightning combined their power and blasted him against the wall. The prince continued peppering the blonde soldier as Lightning picked up Kole and placed her far away from Risk. Warning her to not fall for his harlotry, he sped off to fight Hot Spot.

Kole blushed, thinking, _That was nice._

Looking over her shoulder, Kole found Prysm flying towards her with a light green tint on her glass body. Kole quickly crystallized herself as Prysm shot a beam at her. Absorbing it, she channeled the energy into her hands, and it exploded back with twice the power. Prysm gasped, swatted out of the sky by her own attack.

…

"They're becoming disorganized," King Ch'ah stated, watching from a window high above his throne room. "My generals, step forth."

They kneeled before getting up and saluted. "Yes, sire?"

"What is your plan?"

"The Major General and I have formulated, so, please, do not fear," the taller and stronger of the duo informed.

"They are the distraction. Our soldiers and Prysm are only meant to keep them busy until we arrive. They only have one capable leader among them: Jinx. They are to take her out. Then we arrive to crush the resistance," the female curtly explained.

Ch'ah smirked. "Excellent! Look, my generals."

They did, peering down to the fight, smirking victoriously. Hot Spot leaped over Lightning, aiming straight for Jinx, shooting a flaming wheel at her head. She swiftly avoided, but Fringe clamped his claws around her waist, smirking. Jinx shrieked, demanding to be released when Prysm hovered over her.

"Jinx!" Kid Flash cried, but Risk slammed his foot into his chest. Gasping, he fell to his knees and held his chest, but Risk pinned him down with his boot.

"Slow down," Risk snickered. "All that speed will rush to your head and make you dizzy."

"Let her go!" Kole shouted, creating twin spears of crystal and threw them forward.

Hot Spot shot out his flames, laughing manically. "Not gonna happen, pinky!"

Lightning added his own power to her spears, creating a stalemate between the two. "Wildfire, to Jinx! Save Jinx!"

"You will not harm her!" Wildfire roared furiously with his eyes fully emerald, unleashing a monstrous beam at Prysm.

However, Risk whirled Kid Flash straight into Wildfire. The prince was knocked sideways, and his attack fell too short to strike Prysm. Jinx tried to cast her hexes, but Fringe's claw kept her hands clenched in his fist. Prysm smirked, narrowing her glower onto the wriggling, reformed villainess.

"Farewell, leader girl," she sneered, shooting a blast of bright green energy.

Jinx' eyes widened as the enveloping lime took over her vision. She whimpered loudly before screaming as the blast struck clean through her and Fringe. Her voice was stolen, power stripped, becoming one with the beam. The life she once abided by flashed through her head: destroying the Indian temple, joining the Hive, fighting the Titans, leading the Hive Five, and Madame Rouge slapping her. Then came her new life: Kid Flash saving her from living a life of pathetic villainy, Titans South, and her initiation into the Titans that involved very humiliating stunts that she rather not think about. Kid Flash's sunshine-filled face shot through her mind one last time before flopping over to the ground.

Fringe smirked. His armor protected him from the blast, and he tossed Jinx like a doll to the ground. "The generals will be pleased!"

"Jinx!" Kid Flash shrieked, running over and picked up his unconscious girlfriend. "No! You…I'll make sure you pay for-!"

A thick, course beam of blue suddenly slammed him into the wall. His head thwacked harshly against the bar that Jinx dropped with her bad luck attacks. Kid Flash muttered quick, guttural noises before slipping down and out for the count.

"Wally!" Lightning cried, flying over as Kole and Wildfire checked on Jinx. Checking his pulse, he sighed in relief and glared over to the four. "Who shot that?"

"Well, well, well, look at who we have here…"

"My traitorous brother and our former comrades, dear. How kind of them to stop and visit."

Lightning froze at the voice. It couldn't be…that voice, but, no, it was his imagination. It had to be. Slowly, Lightning looked up, confirming his fears. He fell backwards onto his bottom, gazing up in horror at the infuriated figure that loomed over him.

"Brother…" Lightning whimpered. "You have changed. What have they done to you?"

"He's not you brother. He's my general," Ch'ah stated, floating down from the top with an air of superiority. "You can note his and Argent's armor that they are higher ranking. Meet Major General Argent, second-in-command to my army, and General Thunder, the leader of my army."

Argent wore a white chest plate with one black triangle running with the point facing her chin. She did not have sleeves, keeping her arms free and open with her hair pulled up into a low, straight ponytail with her red bangs falling in front of her face. For her lower part, Argent donned a fanned out gray metal skirt with matching combat boots. Her black collar could still be seen around her neck.

Thunder wore a white helmet, replacing his old blue one and his hair was neatly brushed, covering his right eye. Malice coated his remaining eye with blood vessels coating his sclera. His chest armor was similar to Argent, but he had two triangles pointing to each other. His had sleeves with white triangles connecting along until it reached his wrists. Thunder wore a lower piece exactly like his old uniform, and he had a long blade attached to his back in a black sheath. Like Argent, his collar was noticeable.

"What have you done to them?" Kole shrieked.

"He has done nothing, little girl," Argent sneered, and she saw in fright that she also had blood vessels around her eyes, "but shown us the right path and where we belong."

"This is our home," Thunder stated, glancing over to her. "It is our place, a time to rise up and not be defied by the humans who dare mock us!"

Wildfire leaped to his feet, pointing at them and shouted, "You are crazy! Kid Flash and Jinx thought of you two as family!"

"Family? With humans and a thing like you? Hmph, you little _troq_," Argent hissed.

Wildfire gasped, eyes dilating in horror. That word only exemplified the feelings cold mockery shared by aliens towards Tamaraneans. Unlike Blackfire who fought of her bullies, he and Starfire would freeze at the word and back down like peasants to a tyrannical king. However, this was different since it was his friend calling him it. Harsh fury rose up in him, and he screamed, flying forth.

"Wildfire, no!" Kole cried, holding Jinx in her lap.

Thunder suddenly surged forward, slamming his fist into his chest. Wildfire gagged, mouth dropping quicker than a child tripping on ice. He smirked as Wildfire managed to glance over to him.

"Foolish _troq_," he taunted before snatching his ponytail and bashed him into the ground. Noticing Wildfire no longer moved, he knelt down and touched his wrist. Blood still flowed with each slow beat, and he smirked. "He should not have even tried."

"Brother, he was our friend," Lightning weakly countered.

"Friend!" Thunder shrieked, swerving back to Lightning. Finding his brother's face to be the priceless epitome of black, surprised horror, he sighed and knelt by him. "Listen to me, listen very closely, they are not us. We are better. We are the H'san Natall."

"We are also human…"

"No matter!" Thunder slammed his fist down beside him, creating a hole the size of both his fists. "We are the hybrids who work under King Ch'ah! I am General Thunder, commander of his army! My love…" He stood, gesturing with a smile over to Argent who gladly went to him. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he chuckled a bit before adding, "…is Major General Argent, and you, too, can still be part of our family, brother as Lieutenant General."

"The lowest of the generals, that is," Argent sneered.

"Play nice, dear." Thunder smirked. "My brother can be vicious when he desires to be. Is that not so, Lightning? Do you recall how you nearly destroyed me? Beat me into submission? That was…amusing to see you so enraged, but now I see I was wrong to side with the green one. All thanks to our magnificent King Ch'ah."

"What have you done to him?" Lightning roared, shoving through Thunder and Argent. Stepping up to Ch'ah, he screamed, "Answer me! You poisoned their minds! All of them!"

"The collars," Kole whispered, slowly getting to her feet. She constructed two small daggers in her hands, hiding them as they were so diminutive. _If I can just reach them, I might be able to slice them off, and they'll be back to normal, I hope._

"Hey, King Ch'ah! The pink chick, mind if I keep her? I need a few good women to keep me satisfied," Risk asked eagerly.

"She proves to be no threat. Take her, Risk. Do whatever you please," Ch'ah replied.

"You will not harm her!" Lightning roared, impaling Risk square in the chest.

Before Lightning could move, Thunder suddenly elbowed him in the side of the face. Snatching his arm, he shoved his brother over and pinned him to the ground with his boot on back. Lightning cried out as Thunder twisted his arm in the wrong direction.

"You dare attack my new family in front of me? Foolish! Lightning, no, Tavis, is that what you want? To be alone since we exterminated your friends? Gan is gone. General Thunder is in your wake," Thunder hissed. "I can easily break your arm. I can hurt you, but I am giving one last chance. Do not take the wrong decision."

Lightning faced the ground, mouth twisted in shock. Who was this…this creature? This was not his brother! He tried reaching Thunder with his thoughts, but Thunder did not respond. It was like something blocked their telepathic link, and he glanced helplessly to Hot Spot and the others who apathetically gazed at him.

"Choose," Argent ordered, stepping in front of him.

"You…are still…a silver wretch, but I…" Lightning lowered his head in shame. "…I concede."

"Lightning, no," Kole whimpered. "Don't become like them. They're monsters."

"I am sorry, Kole, but I…" Lightning smirked, electrifying himself, and watched as his power traveled along his arm and onto Thunder's. "…needed to fool them in order to-huh?"

Thunder bashed his fist into Lightning's head, cutting Lightning's attack short. Lightning cried out as the pain erupted like a volcano in his head. Kneeling down, Thunder snarled and snatched Lightning's throat and flipped him over to face him.

"You lost your chance! You are no brother of mine!" Thunder roared, unsheathing his sword. "Sire, may I?"

Ch'ah watched Lightning writhe underneath him, begging for Thunder to try and free himself. "No."

"What?" Argent and Thunder cried in pure shock.

"Throw him in the dungeon. Take the prisoners, too." Ch'ah whisked towards Thunder as the blue elemental stood. "He is still part of us, General. Remember that."

Argent and Thunder gazed to each other before nodding and saluting. Thunder looked to his men, ordering them to gather up the "rebels" and place them in their cells. Kole yelped as Risk snatched her arm and Jinx, dragging them along. Fringe hoisted Kid Flash over his shoulder, but before Hot Spot grabbed Lightning, he made one final plea.

Lightning threw off his armguard, exposing his gold bracelet and cried, "Do you not remember me, brother? Do you not remember our bond? That we share is far more powerful than this curse plaguing you! Please, Thunder! I am your brother! I live for you!"

For a moment, Thunder's eyes softened in realization before scowling and turned away. "Take him, Colonel."

"Will do, sir," Hot Spot replied, snatching Lightning's shoulder and dragged him up.

"Brother!" Lightning wailed as Thunder, Argent, Ch'ah, and his daughter left the room through another hallway.

…

"Good work," Prysm mustered up, smiling a bit.

"Like you did any," Argent snapped.

Prysm drew back behind her father meekly, fearing this new Argent. The old Argent, Antonia, was kinder, if spoiled at times, but there was never this bitterness or constant malice. Prysm slowly looked to her father who kept praising his generals.

"Prysm, go with the others," Ch'ah commanded.

"But I-"

"Did you not hear me? Get going!" he snarled ferociously.

Gasping, she quickly turned and hurried back out. Her mind was warped with treasonous thoughts. Her father had transformed into an ogre, and she helped in changing her best friends into miniature clones of him, filled with his sick ideals. Glancing over her shoulder once they were out of sight, Prysm turned and walked.

"I gotta say, I was not expecting Lightning to be…so rebellious," Argent commented.

"He was always like that. It is understandable," Thunder replied gently, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Lightning has had his chance far too many times."

"You're right. He must be annihilated, but let us watch him break first," Ch'ah sneered.

Argent shook her head, stretching. "Not now. I'm tired."

Thunder nodded, saluting his king and followed Argent as the monarch walked away. "Shall I join you?"

"In what?"

"Being tired?"

Argent giggled as Thunder wrapped his arms around her waist. Spinning to him, she laughed as he picked her up. The generals smirked, and Argent began playing with his "emo hair" as she dubbed it. Thunder frowned childishly, demanding for her to stop.

"Why? It's so…fluffy," Argent gushed. "You have soft, fluffy hair for such a big, strong man."

"Come, I am General Thunder. I am not meant to be 'fluffy' or 'soft'," Thunder argued sternly, tapping her nose.

"But you are meant to be cute."

"…Yes, I am adorable."

Argent smirked, leaning up to his chest. "And that helmet looks way better than that old one."

"And you look marvelous with your hair drawn back," Thunder whispered, lowering his head down and kissed her forehead. "Come, let us retire."

…

General Lost-His-Freaking-Mind and Major General Insane-Witch have arrived! Next chapter will basically concentrate on Lightning and Kole. Please, review!


	14. Prisoners

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

It was just like before, but instead of Billy Numerous trying to pick her up with his insisting whines, it was Risk and his ridiculous tales of heroism. Kole continued ignoring the "suave" soldier who boasted about how he slayed a dragon and rescued a bus filled with schoolchildren from hydroplaning. Rolling her eyes, she glanced back to Lightning who kept his morbid gaze on the stone floor.

They were taken captives by King Ch'ah and his two generals: General Thunder and Major General Argent. Their friends were knocked unconscious, and Lightning seemed to loom in a bleak cloud of depression. Kole gazed around to the three former Titans who had become Ch'ah's soldiers: Colonel Hot Spot and Lieutenant Colonels Fringe and Risk. While she knew they were being controlled, but she wondered if it was too late to save their corrupted minds.

The dungeon they were brought to had metal cells like earthly prisons, but constructed in stone for floors and ceilings. Prisoners lined the dreary chambers, moaning and drying with the pungent reek of decay and blood. Kole's eyes stung, watering from the smell. Fringe ripped open a fresh cell, throwing Kid Flash inside and Risk tossed Jinx in as well. Shutting it, Risk pressed against the metal wall, activating an electric barrier on the bars. Approaching another across from the unconscious Titans, Fringe opened it and threw Wildfire inside, doing the same thing as Risk.

"Well, pinky, my baby doll-" Kole gagged inwardly at Risk's pathetic attempts at flirtation. "-this is where we part, unless you wanna be my…concubine."

"You're disgusting," Kole snarled before Hot Spot shoved her forward. "I'd rather rot in a cell than do anything with you, pig."

"Suit yourself," Risk replied lackadaisically as Hot Spot pushed Lightning into the opened cell with her. Once it shut and the electricity was active, he waved with a snicker, sauntering away with the others.

"We have to get out of here," Kole proclaimed, searching the metal walls for some sort of abnormality to escape.

"What is the point?"

"Huh?"

Lightning finally gazed at her, eyes wet with unshed tears. They were pink and puffy, and Kole realized his strong front dwindled down to a pitiable act. Wiping his eyes, he fell onto his bottom and brought his knees to his chest with a whimper.

"Zap, come in, it's not so bad," she soothed, but he would have none of it.

"You dare say that, crystal witch? Observe my brother! Observe our fallen friends! They are all doomed! We are doomed! Why do you not realize this?" he blurted frantically, shivering as he rocked himself back and forth. "It is over…Thunder no longer recognizes me, his own brother. He no longer lives for me."

Kole never saw him like this, just like a kicked puppy. He was similar to a frightened child, alone without family or friends to console him. Kneeling down by the young elemental, she wrapped her arm around him and brought his head to her chest.

Lightning stiffened in her embrace. All troublesome thoughts faded from his mind like a slow mist. Hesitantly, the tears began rolling from his eyes in twin rivulets, sniffling as his emotions started trickling onto her white blouse.

Before Lightning knew it, he was sobbing. Harsh cries escaped his throat, clenching his eyes shut and wept verbosely. Nothing was fair to him, it seemed, as if Hsuan abandoned him to die. To Lightning, it was like he was unleashing every painful, tormenting feeling inside, coming out with his tears and whines for his brother.

"It's okay, Lightning. Just let it out. I'm still here," Kole whispered, stroking through his spiky, namesake-like hair.

"I-I feel so-so helpless here," Lightning stuttered, still crying. "I lost my-my bro-brother. It is n-not fair, Kole. Wh-why is this unfair? Why-why my brother? Why him?"

"But we can save him." Realizing she was making a vague promise, she pursed her lips, but found that her voice soothed Lightning as he bobbed his head to agree.

"Omen's predication…she saw us-us battling…" Lightning took in another breath as the scene replayed itself in front of him. Bodies falling were his friends being blasted and beaten into submission. "E-everything she said…it-it is true."

"We can fix this Lightning! I promise!"

Lightning sat up, wiping his eyes with his arm. Looking at her darkened chest where his tears plopped, he sighed. "I am sorry for crying on you."

"I don't mind." She grinned, hugging him again before quickly pulling away. "It's just like how we really met. In some sort of cell back when Adeline Kane ruled the Hive."

"Ah, yes! We have met in a cell. Though, while some moments were rather volatile, I am…glad we met."

"Yeah, without you calling me 'crystal witch' everyday, I would actually get bored," Kole commented, snickering.

"Yes, and Lightning requires an exquisite nuisance such as yourself referring to me as a 'banana' or that accursed name 'Zap," he sneered.

"They're terms of affection!" Kole retorted, punching his arm.

"Ow!"

"Ha!"

Lightning glared over to her, crossing his arms and snorted. Turning away obstinately, he snapped, "Crystal witch!"

"Zap!"

"Pinky!"

She gasped, indignity flowing through her as the elemental smirked victoriously. "Take that back!"

"No."

Kole tackled him to the ground, snatching his arm and twisted it backwards. Lightning flailed, waving his other arm to try to break free, but Kole kept her grip tight. She wrapped her legs around his chest, pinning him down.

"Take it back or death!" she shrieked, shoving his face with her foot.

"I revoke my statement!" he wailed.

Kole smiled cheerily, loosening her grip as Lightning scuttled away. He groaned and held his sore arm, gazing at it and sighed. Rolling it, he attempted to regain feeling, but a stinging pain shot up to his shoulder. Grunting, he hissed that it hurt far worse than before. Kole did not comprehend as Lightning rubbed his arm. Suddenly, the distinct memory of Thunder twisting Lightning's arm in that deformed, unnatural way that brought shrieks of peril shot through her mind.

"I'm so sorry," she quickly stated as Lightning nodded.

"I am fine," he insisted. "Do not worry, crystal witch."

Kole shifted uncomfortably in the unexpectedly sullen room. The groans of the tortured and condemned rose up. Some prayed for death through wails. Others were already dead such as the woman across from them in an adjacent cell, decomposed to bones with her teeth missing and mouth a gaping hole. Kole cried out when she connected her gaze with the rotted, ebony circles of darkness in her skull. Lightning held her tightly, and he brought her away from the death with a melancholy only known in Lightning's personal moments of "emotude" as Kid Flash called it, which was rare.

"Do you recall when Gnarrk asked to speak privately with me before venturing out into space?" he questioned earnestly.

She nodded meekly, still perturbed over the corpse.

"He forced me to vow to protect you, a commitment I have taken to my heart. I will protect you. I may have failed in saving my brother, but I can still defend you." Lightning smiled, releasing her and kneeled before her. "So, do not tremble in darkness, and do not fear the death that surrounds us. As long as there is life in my body, I shall fight for you. I live for you."

"Aw, Zap! That was so sweet, and you didn't rip it off from Thunder!" Kole gushed, leaping onto him and knocked him backwards.

Lightning blushed scarlet as she snuggled into his chest. Awkwardly, he hugged her back and averted his gaze to anything but her. He was no used to such affection unless it was from his brother. Subconsciously, he began stroking her hair with a small grin blossoming on his near colorless face. Lightning wondered why she was such a happy, charming girl. He never got around to asking about her past, but if it was filled with pain, he would leave the subject alone. Her smile filled him with unbridled joy, and Lightning realized their arguments were so foolish. Everything, all the suffering and torture he faced, melted into bliss.

"Hey…"

"Yes, Kole?"

"I'm thankful I met you, Lightning."

"I feel the same."

Kole propped herself up onto his chest, grinning. "It's funny. We meet in a cell, and here we are, in a cell again. Perhaps we should just live in one."

"Prisoners once more, but I am glad to have such a fair companion to help me through such a troubling time." Lightning watched as she rested her head against his chest, sighing quietly. "Like a beautiful princess…"

"Say what?"

Lightning gasped sharply. Had he said that aloud? "Nothing."

"You think I'm beautiful?"

"I…I do. The fairest of them all. I am…" He sat up, keeping Kole in his arms like a doll and gulped. "..not accustomed to revealing my feelings to anyone other than my brother, so…this is rather peculiar for me."

"Coming from a guy who lived in the clouds, it sounds natural," Kole remarked.

"Be quiet."

She laughed, and he kept her in his arms in frustrated silence. "Zap, you can a ditz."

"You refer to Lightning as a what?" he vehemently cried.

"It means you ca be silly and hyper and you're pretty clueless when it comes to saying your feelings." Kole shrugged. "I can be that way."

"You can? Even though you are very honest?"

She nodded, turning a light rose shade like her hair. "I'm outgoing, but I'm not used to being so close to someone. Gnarrk's like my brother and you're…you're…"

"What am I to you?" Lightning asked, taking her hand. "Please, I wish to know."

"Maybe…uh…" Kole suddenly leaped to her feet, pointing dramatically to him. "You're a violent, egotistical brat with a brother complex, and you really stubborn and insane, but you've got a heart of gold, and you're cute and funny and awesome, and oh!" She stamped her foot, and Lightning blankly stared at her.

"Uh…"

"I think I love you, but I don't know and-!" Kole covered her mouth, eyes widening to their fullest extent as reason rushed back into her head. "I am so sorry! I-I-I don't know what came over me, but, um, that's how I feel…Lightning."

Embarrassment flooded through her body, pumped by heart and replaced her blood. He just kept staring at her, almost making her feel inferior, and Kole hugged herself and looked away. Facing the bars, Kole refused to speak as she pondered frantically if she ruined their friendship.

Lightning stated her name gently, but she shook her head and remained locked away in her turmoil-inducing thoughts. Standing up stiffly, he grasped her shoulders, bringing her back to his chest. She was still so much shorter, coming up to the tip of his top armor, but he felt she fit perfectly. He draped his arms around her waist and chest, preventing her from moving.

"Zap?"

"Kole Weathers, you are brash, coy, and arrogant at times, but you are always elegant, amusing, and you are my preferred girl because you have a spark that I find so magnificent to be with. You have a magical quality that words cannot describe. I believe I am in love with you as well."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"So, you two are in love, hm?"

"Why does this occur every time we attempt to have our moments?" Lightning shrieked, plowing over to the bars. "And what do you desire, Prysm, you accursed witch?"

Prysm stood in the dungeon with a quiet air around her. She pressed the wall, deactivating the electricity and opened the cell manually. Gesturing out, she stepped aside with her head bowed.

"You're letting us go?" Kole questioned suspiciously.

"Your friends are goners. Flee back to Earth and acquire help," Prysm stated, not meeting their stunned gazed. "My father, he was a good person. He loved me-"

"But sometimes you must stand up to your father in order to protect those you cherish," Lightning interjected.

Prysm gasped, nodding in silent agreement soon after. "I did not want this to happen."

"So why did you let it? You had a choice, Prysm," Kole argued. "You could have prevented this and saved us all."

Prysm glanced away in shame. Her body, a crisp blue, turned an even darker shade. Crystal tears matched her body, and she continued to nod. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes, and whispered, "I said the same thing to Argent, that she had a choice to run away when she had that grenade, but she stayed to save her friends. What a fool I've been."

"Prysm, tell us, what occurred with Argent that day? The day she killed thousands?" Lightning requested hurriedly.

"It is a long story." Prysm quickly checked the dungeon halls, searching for any guards. Locating none, she asked, "Do you have time?"

They nodded, and Prysm told them everything. She told them of the hybrid's creation and up to Argent's grenade incident. Immense sadness surged her body and darkened her skin to cobalt. She also informed them of what happened with Thunder and Argent on the balcony. While Lightning looked ready to vomit on their kiss and silently walked over to a wall and repeatedly banged his head, Prysm admitted breaking them up by blasting Argent away.

"Thank you," Lightning cried as Kole rolled her eyes.

"I think they're cute together when they aren't being psychotic," Kole admitted.

"Is there a way we can bring them back to their original states of mind?" Lightning asked.

"Remove the collars," Prysm explained. "It keeps them on a mental leash, giving them absolute loyalty to my father and raised their cruelty and malice towards everything that is not H'san Natall."

"Wondrous news! Thunder can be saved!" Lightning eagerly jeered, clapping his hands together.

"Prysm, how can we trust you?" Kole mused, crossing her arms.

"I know I have acted horrid, but then I saw how to collars transformed Argent and Thunder." Prysm covered her face in her hands, hiccupping through sobs. "I'm so sorry! It's my entire fault!"

Lightning and Kole looked to each other in surprise, and the former leaned close to her, snapping, "You placed the collar on my brother?"

"I did."

"I should destroy you where you stand!" Lightning charged up his hand, baring his teeth ferociously like a wolf ready to maul his prey. However, once she winced, he lowered his hand and reluctantly smiled quirkily. "I shall let you go unharmed, but I will ensure you will pay. Not now as we are in a perilous situation, but soon, princess."

Prysm found his generous grin to be sadistic and demonic. Nodding, she sidestepped to let them go, but Kole quickly pulled Lightning and whispered something into his ear. He nodded, turning to Prysm and declined her offer of sweet freedom.

"We have a plan," he reasoned to her flabbergasted expression.

"It'll work, but we need your help," Kole added.

Prysm blinked as Kole murmured to her their plan. It was a fool's plot, worth of being nominated for the "Idiot Idea of the Year". Sighing, she accepted it and closed the cell. Reactivating the electricity, she turned away and sighed.

"Just distract him," Kole urged.

"I will," Prysm unwillingly replied, walking away. "Uh, good luck."

"Same to you," she stated, and the princess flew away.

"I hate her," Lightning muttered. "While she seems to be sincere at the moment, how do we know that she is not playing us for fools?"

"It'll help us in the long run. Don't worry, Zap," she reassured, grinning. "Um, so, we love each other, right?"

"I suppose so." Lightning blushed, slumping to his knees. "What do we do?"

"Well, once this is over, we got on a date."

"I have heard of those." He tapped his chin, smiling. "I have thought of a marvelous place to take you once we venture home."

"Where's that?"

Lightning brought his finger to his lips, chuckling. "It is a surprise."

Kole frowned, pouting. "Come on! Tell me!"

"Sleep, fair crystal witch," he sniggered, bringing her close. "We must put on a thrilling show for the generals and their underlings when they come."

…

"Wake up!"

Lightning cracked an eye open, glancing up to find General Thunder glaring down to him outside the prison. Sharing a quick smirk with Kole who was facing him, he leaped to his feet and smiled blissfully to his brother.

Thunder hesitated, staring at Lightning's odd reaction to his shout. Clutching his sword, he withdrew and pointed it at him. "I do not know why I am even bothering to come and have you serve our king, but he wants you. I would rather watch you die than-"

"Oh, brother!" Lightning gushed, almost gripping the bars and shook his head rapidly. "What a fool I have been!"

"…Huh?" Thunder blinked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Staying with these pathetic humans! They hold no power to that of we, the H'san Natall! Of course, I always wished to be with my beloved brother, but the humans had poisoned my mind into siding with them!" Lightning glared over to Kole, snorting at her. "And that! That girl! She is horrible. Humans are dreadful, disgusting monsters that twist with your heart…" Lightning sighed, lowering his head and glanced away. "Oh, what am I saying? I foolishly went against you. You have ever right to despise me and sever our ties."

Thunder gaped at Lightning, watching his beloved brother sullenly go back to Kole and sit by her. He watched in shock as Lightning suddenly slapped her harshly across the face, and Thunder realized she was absolutely still. Thunder continued gazing at Lightning who leered back and smirked wickedly.

"I strangled her," Lightning stated proudly after a moment of silence, "to prove my loyalty. She is dead."

Thunder suddenly slammed his hand against the wall, deactivating the cell's functions and stepped inside. "Show her to me. Prove to me that you are worthy to be called my brother once more."

Lightning sternly nodded, grasping Kole by her arms and held her up. She appeared like a doll, eyes shut and body pale. Blue veins seemed to surround her neck, bulging out. Lightning chuckled wickedly before slamming her against the thick wall, watching her slide down.

"She was annoying! Mocking my inability to fight you when I was troubled! The witch," he seethed, charging up his hand.

Thunder crossed his arms, nodding in approval, and his sword faced upwards as if to rear back and slice Lightning across the neck. Slowly, he aimed his blade to Lightning's nose, lowering his head to Kole and gestured to her.

"Must I prove my worth even more?" Lightning asked tiredly, pushing the sword aside. "I killed her. All shreds of my ties to the humans are gone." Lightning bowed to his brother like his old customs taught him. "Oh, Thunder, I humbly beg for your forgiveness. Pardon me, I beseech you."

Thunder brightened considerably, touching his twin's shoulder and brought him up. "This is as it should be! All things shall be well now that you have repented the teaching of the humans. Look me in the eyes, and I shall once again call you my brother."

Lightning did, smiling broadly. "Brother?"

Thunder nodded, returning the grin gently. "Brother."

Embracing Thunder tightly, Lightning found it hard not to cry as Thunder wrapped his powerful arms around him. Lightning pursed his lips, slowly reaching up for the heinous black collar, but Thunder suddenly parted and headed out. Cursing mentally, Lightning asked if anything troubled him.

"No, nothing, at all, my brother," Thunder reassured, bringing him out of the cell. "I am only wondering why…"

"Why what?"

"Why you have not killed her?" Thunder suddenly aimed the sword to Kole, and she gasped, sitting upright as he stomped over to her. "Such lies, 'brother' cannot be forgiven! You betray me once more?"

"No!" Lightning cried. "I did not know she was still alive! Believe me!"

Thunder paused, watching Kole whimper and cower in fear. Kneeling down by her, he shoved his sword into Lightning's hands. "Kill her."

"I am sorry, I did not hear-"

"Kill her," Thunder reiterated, glaring over to Lightning. Standing up, he towered over Lightning who meekly backed down against him. "Unless you wish to rot forever, alone and forgotten only to be food for the insects who come to devour the dead."

"Leave him alone, Thunder!" Kole ordered.

Thunder stopped, eyes blank and slowly averted his gaze to Kole. Lightning made a gesture around his throat for her to be quiet. Kole quickly apologized, glancing down to her feet and scrambled against the stony wall. He continued to gaze at her before ramming his foot into her stomach. Kole's head smacked against the wall, and she instantly fell unconscious.

"Kole!" Lightning wailed, dropping the sword and knelt by her.

"So, you still feel affection towards humans," Thunder murmured, shaking his head. "I am a fool to ever believe that you…you could be my brother again."

"Do not pull the guilt play!" Lightning shouted, surging to his feet and leaned into Thunder. Pushing him back, he snarled, "If you ever harm her again, I swear-!"

"You will what?" Thunder roared back, gripping his armor and heaved him into the air.

Lightning closed his eyes, sighing and looked away. Thunder smirked, placing him on the ground and shoved him towards the bars. Stating he would learn obedience soon, Thunder raised his sword over Kole's head.

"What are you doing?" Lightning quickly demanded, fearing for her life.

"She keeps you tied down. I am only setting you free, my beloved brother!"

Lighting shot out, transmuting his lower half and plowed Thunder into the wall. Snatching the sword, he stood in front of her Kole and panted heavily in rage. "I am your opponent! Battle honorably with me!"

Thunder glared death into Lightning, but he did not back down. Getting to his feet, Thunder cracked his knuckles and neck once. "Honor is a quality that I perceive as pathetic. When an opponent is down, you issue the kill."

"You sound like our father!"

"I am glad to be sounding like him."

Lightning grit his teeth, finding it hard to control himself. Thunder had seeped so far into madness that he desired to slaughter this clone and rip out the real Thunder from underneath the compressed insanity. Composing himself, he stabbed the sword into the ground, digging it halfway inside.

"Here are our terms! If I lose, I join you. If I win, you will take off that collar around your neck," Lightning proclaimed. "Do you accept the terms?"

Thunder blinked in confusion. "Why the collar?"

"Do you accept the blasted terms or not?" Lightning paused, staring down to his hand and found a ring. "…What is that?"

Thunder raised his right hand, revealing the ring Argent gave to him and sighed contently. "The ring my love gave to me upon our first meeting."

Now, Lightning just wanted to kill something as he gaped in shock. "You…you!"

"What, traitor?"

"That is it! I have had it! This planet is bringing us to the point of madness!" Charging up his hands, he shouted, "Prepare yourself, Thunder!"

Thunder snarled, doing the same. "I will warn you: You will die."

…

Yes, yes, love turns to violence very quickly in this story. Please, review!


	15. Brothers

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

Consciousness came back to him, and slowly, he began to stir. Wildfire's emerald orbs fluttered to life, blinking to try and awaken fully. Groaning, he pushed himself up weakly, holding his stomach like a pit was inside there and expanded. Wildfire glanced around, staring at his surroundings in horror. The electricity crackled and hissed, instantly frightening the weakened prince and brought memories of his previous imprisonment on the H'san Natall's back to mind.

He and his sister, Blackfire, were once representatives from Tamaran to the deranged world. He met King Ch'ah and Prysm, but they overwhelmed them with their massive forces. Wildfire distinctively recalled Blackfire getting almost stabbed in the chest by a sword, and that she defended him as he cowered away in a corner. If Galfore had not arrived in time, they would have been killed. Wildfire resented that day, and Blackfire would always taunt him about his lack of strength and determination until Galfore and Starfire separated her.

Wildfire rubbed his eyes, yawning and hesitantly got to his feet. Shouts roared a few yards away, and he peered out just enough to make out General Thunder aim his sword at Lightning. He backed up, watching Lightning cry out Kole's name after a sickening crack exploded in the morbid dungeon.

_Love Kole? Is she hurt? Oh, X'Hal! This is not good, not good at all!_ he thought, grief-stricken and located Kid Flash and Jinx still unconscious in an adjacent cell. _What do I do? I cannot stand by so idly and-!_

"Here are our terms! If I lose, I join you. If I win, you will take off that collar around your neck."

"Lightning," Wildfire whispered, staring out and gasped.

"Prepare yourself, Thunder!"

"I will warn you: You will die."

Wildfire's mouth slacked, horror beseeching him as the brothers went at it in a nearby cell. He could no longer see them, but heard furious grunts and blasts of their namesakes storm around the cell. Wildfire fearfully backed away, shame overcoming him and felt so hopeless in being trapped.

"I want to help," he whimpered, "but I am here, away from Lightning. I can fight, but my bones are brittle, and I am scared. I…I…" Wildfire bared his teeth, eyes a heated jade and raised his hands. "I am coming, friends!"

Lurching back, he unleashed a massive starbeam that impaled through his bars and into the next cell, which belonged to Jinx and her boyfriend. Ripping through the remaining bars, Wildfire felt the incomparable joy of flight rush through him and soared quickly to Thunder and Lightning who stopped their duel when the green light flooded the dreary torture chambers.

"Wildfire, you are unharmed!" Lightning cried happily.

"I am fine, but Love Kole!" Wildfire wailed, flying between the brothers and picked up the unconscious rose-haired Titan. "Who has done this?"

"I have, _troq_, but you are rudely interrupting our battle. Leave now…" Thunder charged up his hand, smirking cruelly. "…or death will be painful."

"Take Kole and flee, Wildfire," Lightning ordered, stepping in front of them.

"But, Lightning!"

"Please."

Wildfire and Lightning locked eyes, and the former saw an acute sadness as if it would be the last time they ever saw each other. Lightning's eyes pleaded with him to escape, begging for him to save Kole. Wildfire pursed his lips, sighing and reluctantly nodded, Gather Kole in his arms, he shot out, but Thunder slashed a spiraling beam right in front of him.

"You are not leaving, _troq_," Thunder snarled.

Lightning lunged onto Thunder's back, grappling with his arms and shouted, "Fly!"

"Be safe! Please, come back alive!" Wildfire requisitioned, flying off with Kole in his arms.

"Get off!" Thunder hissed, snatching Lightning's waist and threw him forward. "You will suffer for your mockery!"

"Foolish brother! You must see the truth!" Lightning snapped.

Thunder slammed his fists onto the ground, creating a shockwave to trop Lightning up, but his nimble younger twin transmuted his lower half to electricity and swerved past him. Shooting a wave, he watched as Thunder merely sidestepped the blow. Lightning blasted even more strikes, but Thunder casually dodged like it all was a game.

Frustration grew in Lightning as he landed and aimed a quick kick to Thunder's head. Thunder snatched his ankle, and Lightning paled considerably. Heaving him into the air, he bashed Lightning against the wall and released him. Lighting dropped to ground, grunting and rubbed his head as Thunder's shadow loomed over him.

Thunder raised his steel-toed boot over Lightning's head, sneering, "Farewell."

Lightning rolled out of the way as Thunder stomped down. Staggering to his feet, he gnashed down on his teeth maniacally. Thunder merely glanced over to his brother, grinned wickedly and separated his hands high above his head. Lightning gasped, making a dash for freedom, but Thunder slammed his hands together, inducing sound waves that sliced through the air, literally cutting it. Lightning covered his ears, thrown backwards by the deafening noise and skidded to a stop.

Regaining his footing, Lightning hissed at the noise that rang mercilessly in his ears. His head pounded by the sound, beating like a heart in his mind. Lightning cried out, squeezing his eyes shut and felt like he would go insane as he wobbled around feebly. He managed to open one eye in time to watch Thunder roar and deck him straight across the right temple.

Lightning dropped like a fly, and the gold bracelet around his wrist flopped off. He attempted to grab it, but Thunder knelt down and snatched the chain. Sneering he stood up and flicked it open.

"How weak and sentimental," he taunted.

"You have one as well," Lightning retorted.

Thunder paused, furrowing his brow in annoyance. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"You…you have one. Do you not recall?"

"No…I…" Thunder flicked the locket open, gazing inside in intrigue. It was him at a younger age, so happy and free, tied down only to his brother by love and blood. Thunder cringed, holding his head as the memory of Chan To taking his picture with Lightning surged through his mind. Clutching his head tightly, Thunder dropped the chain and stumbled backwards.

"Who…who was that? The elder…Chan-" Thunder's eyes widened, and a painful pulse erupted in his mind, and he cried out.

"Brother?" Lightning questioned in shock.

The blood vessels around Thunder's eyes grew larger, more visible, and crimson. Thunder aimed his fist at the younger elemental's head, but Lightning swiftly leaped back. Refitting his chain around his naked arm, Lightning realized he lost his armguard in the previous battle. Lightning leaped over Thunder as he charged like an enraged bull or bulky football player. Kicking him in the back of his head, Lightning watched as the white helmet flew off and bounced harmlessly to the ground.

"Look at yourself! Reduced to a monster," Lightning hissed as Thunder's once neatly combed hair fell messily in front of his face, nearly covering it all. "You look mad."

"Be silent! Do not speak to me! These memories are lies! They…they must be!" Thunder shrieked.

"Then your ring, your night with Argent. Was that night a lie?" Lightning sternly demanded.

Thunder's eyes widened, stumbling to his feet. Argent was always real. That night was his most precious memory, but his past, Chan, what of those? Why did he have those memories? Thunder covered his eyes, shouting for him to shut up.

"I will not be silenced! You do not belong with this filth! You are my brother, and I love you, whether you want me to or not." Lightning approached him as Thunder backed up to the wall of stone. "I still live for you."

Thunder's expression grew to surprise, face seemingly larger, and his mouth was a straight line. Pushing away his bang behind his ear, he smiled gently like he used too and touched Lightning's shoulders. His sword remained embedded in the ground beside him, but it went unnoticed by Lightning.

"My dear brother, thank you. I remember," Thunder whispered, pulling him into an embrace. "I remember us."

"The curse! It is severed!" Lightning enthusiastically cried and hugged him back. "Oh, brother, I am so-!"

Lightning felt cool metal press against his back. He froze, eyes wandering over to Thunder who emotionlessly gazed forward. The blade did not move, but the blue general kept the blade's metal side onto Lightning who began to tremble in horror.

"This is what we are reduced to brother? Gan?" Lightning murmured. "To fight on opposing sides to slay each other?"

Thunder did not respond, but the hilt secured in his white-knuckled grip.

"May I ask you something?"

"What?" Thunder gruffly questioned.

"When our father killed you, why did you come back?"

Thunder shoved Lightning away so quickly that his hair fell down to shield his face almost entirely. Falling to his knees, he faced the floor and panted for breath. He died? When? The white plane, Chan To, his brother, the glass floor, darkness, his dead body, and Lightning sobbed on him rushed back like a hurricane.

What were these?

"I-I-gah!" Thunder choked, gripping his mouth.

"Brother?"

"No…I am King Ch'ah's General Thunder…I am…second-in-command to Titans South…I am a Teen Titan…but I am a soldier, the heir to his army after my father! Mother, Lightning, Walter Williams, Adeline Kane, the Hive, Chan To, the Brotherhood of Evil, Slade, Fire, the green one, Starfire, Wildfire, Titans South, Argent, Storm Twins, Tavis, and Gan…What are these memories? Who are you? Who are you? Why do I see these false images rush through my mind?"

Lightning ran to his brother, kneeling by him as he grasped his head and began screaming. "Brother, please, look at me!"

"Who am I?" Thunder wailed. "These memories, am I not King Ch'ah's general? Tell me!"

"You are Gan Williams, my brother," Lightning soothed.

"No! I am not Gan! I am General Thunder! I…I…" Thunder trailed off, and he suddenly fell over into a fetal position. "No more…please, no more…"

"Gan!" Lightning cried, trying to pull him up.

"Go…just go."

"I will not leave you here! You have always saved my life. It is time I save yours."

Thunder punched Lightning away, getting to his feet and began running off. Lightning shouted after him and scrambled to his feet. Knowing he was faster, he easily caught up and snatched Thunder's hand, but Thunder summoned his cloud and took off. Transmuting his lower half, Lightning raised his hand and snatched his ebony hair.

"Look at me!"

"No! You are a lie!"

"Why do you flee?"

"Because you are traitor!"

"Your mind as been poisoned!"

Thunder shook his head frantically, forcing Lightning to let him go. "No! That cannot be!"

"It is! You are Gan Williams, the Storm Twin called Thunder, my brother and second-in-command to Titans South! You are no general to the heinous Ch'ah, and you are not malicious! Brother, you are honorable, kind, generous, and filled with love! Remember who you are!"

"I am-!" Thunder felt another sharp pain explode in his brain, and he cried out. Tripping over, he fell to his knees once more. He pounded the ground with his fist, and Thunder shrieked, "You are lying!"

Lightning's mouth flopped open as he was blasted back by a stream of blue. His ankles deceived him, flipping him around and tumbled onto the stone floor. Moaning, he shot up in time to avoid Thunder's fist smashing down by him. Lightning easily dodged his strikes, realizing his muddled mind made his attacks sloppy. Gazing into his brother's eyes, he watched as the blood vessels seemed to stretch across his eyes to strap him in like an institutionalized man.

Thunder made wild grabs for Lightning, cursing. Suddenly, he paused and closed his eyes, placing his hand to his ear. Lightning hesitated, wondering if it would be rude to interject his brother's calmness. Perhaps he was concentrating on an attack or thinking over what he proclaimed as the factual truth. Lightning took a few strides to him, but kept a proper striking distance away from Thunder to defend himself. Slowly, Thunder removed his hand away from his ear and crossed his arms, opening his eyes.

The blood vessels reversed themselves as if he were coming to grips with reality. They retracted back to small, squiggly spikes of scarlet by his ebony eyes. Thunder smirked, shaking his head in amusement. He chortled deviously, locking eyes with his uncertain twin.

"King Ch'ah as reassured me that those memories I have of you and the Titans are filled with lies," he informed, glancing over his shoulder. "I have also been alerted that Jinx and Kid Flash have escaped with assistance from Wildfire. My dear is currently after them with our elite soldiers."

"Brother, how do you know this?" Lightning demanded.

Thunder turned, revealing a white earpiece. "It allows King Ch'ah to communicate directly to me."

"Then why did you appear to be in such pain whenever I spoke to you of our precious memories together?"

Thunder paused, confused. "I-I do not know."

"He is using you, brother!" Lightning lunged at Thunder with a sparkling ball. "Awaken from this madness!"

Thunder raised his hands as the forceful wave sent him backwards. Flipping over, he landed safely on his cloud, shouting, "You are going to be my Lieutenant General! Whether you wish to be or not!"

The brothers roared at each other, running at each other in top speed. Their power formed in their raised fist, coming inches from each other. For a few brief moments, everything went white like a tundra's snowstorm. They gazed at each other, and neither moved in their stances. Thunder and Lightning remained still, fists with their namesakes sparkling and glowing. Lightning bit his lip sorrowfully and lunged at his gaping brother. Grasping the collar, he unleashed his raw electricity, and it coursed through Thunder's body. Thunder screamed, and the collar began crackling and singed his skin. Slapping Lightning away, Thunder fell to his knees and held his throat.

Recovering, Lightning heard a familiar chime in his Titans communicator and instantly retrieved it as Thunder gazed to the ground. "Jinx!" 

"Lightning!" she cried, wiping her eyes with a cheerful grin. "I'm so relieved to see you. Wildfire told us everything. Your fight with Thunder, what's going on?"

"I am fine, but my brother…" Lightning glanced over to Thunder who shook like he was on a shivering rain. "I do not know. He is in such pain. He is lost. Oh, be careful for Argent and her soldiers are after you!"

"Right, thanks for the update. We'll be on the alert. We're back in the throne room, and no one's stopped us yet, so we're going to try and find Ch'ah. Are you still in the cells?"

"I am, but I will leave shortly. I will join you when I can. Lightning, out." Shutting off the connection, Lightning turned to find his brother gone. "Thunder? "

Heavy footsteps stamped in the opposing direction. Lightning squinted, making out the white armor his brother donned. Watching in sullen surprise, Lightning desired to chase him, but he stopped. Lightning realized that Thunder needed to be alone as his presence would only torment his thoughts. Lightning closed his eyes and stopped.

_Brother, if you can hear me, I love you. I always shall love you. Please, come back to me with Argent. I will accept her as your mate, but I need you, Gan. Now, I am Tavis, wanting to embrace the eight-year-old who guarded me from villains like Minh and Hwang. Gan, I love you, but I must go and save our friends. I live for you, remember that._

Lightning turned and walked in the opposing direction, never looking back.

…

Thunder heard everything, leaning against the prison cell and stared forward with wide, dilated eyes. Why? Why did his mind torture him? Thoughts swirled, memories combined, nothing made logical sense. Thunder breathed uneasily, gripping himself in a hug before a gold locket suddenly dropped out of his armor. Gasping, Thunder scrambled and snatched it.

It was the same one Lightning wore. His eyes widened in the startling revelation, and he ripped it open, finding the worn photograph of Lightning, then Tavis, when he was eight years old. Thunder whimpered in horror, sliding down onto his bottom and read and reread the line to the side.

live for him

Not capitalization, no period, scrawled somewhat messily like he was in a rush, but it was there. He lived for Lightning.

Then, something in Thunder's mind clicked. He remembered. He remembered everything.

"Get in off!" Thunder screamed, gripping the collar and frantically attempted to yank the collar off. "It is poisoning me! Brother, help me! Brother, where are you? Please, I am sorry!" Thunder sucked down breaths and whimpered, looking down and dropped his head. "Oh, Hsuan, what I have done? I do not deserve my brother's forgiveness."

Thunder stared down to his armor through his fragments of his hair. Snatching his bangs he whipped them backwards and vowed to get a haircut once he returned home, he tried to strip himself of the armor, but it would not budge. Beast Boy told him of Terra, how her armor bounded her to Slade through their neural systems. Thunder gasped as King Ch'ah's voice rang in his ears.

"Is there a problem, General Thunder?"

"Yes! What have you done to me? You controlled Thunder!" Leaping to his feet, he bashed his fist against the wall, roaring, "Where are you, Ch'ah? Show yourself? Do battle with me!"

"I am disappointed."

"Disappointed! You lunatic!"

"You were such a fine warrior. You could have lead my army, but you still can. All I have to do is kill Lightning. I don't really need him, but it would have been nice to have all of the hybrids under my command."

"Toni and the others, you control them as well?"

"Yes, and if they even think about rebelling or their other memories, I bring them back to obedience by doing this."

The same excruciating pain ripped through his mind, and Thunder screamed, holding his head and fell over. Rolling around, he grunted through almost-gritted teeth before hitting his head against the floor and begged the pain to stop. However, it increased a tenfold, and Thunder thought his head was going to explode. Squeezing his eyes shut, he cried out and lost all of his strength, collapsing soundlessly.

"Had enough?" Ch'ah questioned.

"How do you command…such power?" Thunder asked weakly, eyes barely open.

"I have my ways that you will find out soon, General Thunder."

Thunder snatched the collar again, shouting, "How are you seeing me?"

"Look around."

Managing to get to his knees, Thunder glanced around. Hundreds of small, barely noticeable cameras were hidden on the wall through cracks and crevices. Thunder gasped sharply, lying back against the wall and groaned painfully.

"I…I will never…never do this once more," Thunder grunted. "I will…not be part…of your evil."

"You have no choice! You lost!"

Thunder gripped the collar in one final attempt, shrieking, "You…cannot…control me…any longer!"

He snarled, desperately trying to rip the collar off with Ch'ah's mocking laughter raging through his mind. Thunder thought of his brother, his friends, his love, and those images strengthened him. He would do this for them and reunite with them, thus, saving them. Slowly, the metal collar began shrieking as Thunder tore it through the middle, almost all the way through. With a final cry, he stripped it off and held both suddenly flimsy twin shreds of the collar. Dropping them, the pain stopped. All of the false memories of him being Ch'ah's general were gone. Thunder felt renewed, born again like Jesus and rose up.

"You cannot control Thunder," he growled, taking the earpiece out and crushed it. Summoning his cloud, he dashed off, shouting, "Hold on, brother! I am coming!"

Bad news is that he went in the wrong direction.

Realizing this, Thunder groaned and swerved back around and gasped at who he bumped into.

"You!" he snapped, glaring at Prysm.

Prysm yelped, holding up her hands. "Wait, please! I am sorry! I only wanted to unite the hybrids!"

"By using us!" Thunder screamed, charging up his fists. "Do you not comprehend the suffering I have went through, witch? Stay away from me."

"Thunder, please! Hear me out!" the princess entreated.

Shaking his head ruefully, Thunder snatched her arm and shoved passed her, dashing off. Prysm instantly flew after him, begging to be heard. Thunder continued ignoring her until she darted in front and held out his Titans communicator. He gasped, snatching it and immediately tried to reach anyone.

"There is no response," he stated mournfully.

"Your telepathic link with your brother. Try that," she offered.

"Why are you assisting me?"

"I want to change this. I know what my father is doing, it's wrong. When I saw your face when I placed the collar on…Thunder, I am sorry, I mean it from the bottom of my heart." Prysm sighed. "You don't have to forgive me, but I can help you. I saw you and Argent, and you weren't the same. My father lied to me…I thought he turned good…"

"Fathers can be troubling," Thunder hesitantly replied, "but we must stand up for our own personal beliefs and what is right for us." Scratching the back of his head as Prysm nodded eagerly, he pointed to the cameras. "You do know that your father is watching us right now, yes?"

"…Right now?"

"Yes."

"Really?" 

Thunder nodded.

"…Oh, crud." Prysm's hand found its way to her forehead. "Well, I don't care! I'm to help you! I want to repent my actions and save my friends. Is there anyway I can?"

Thunder gently placed her at arms length away when she started to lean in too close for comfort. "I will not forgive you yet until you prove your worth, but your demeanor appears sorrowful. We will work together to save our friends."

Prysm nodded, and they both dashed off.

…

Yes, psycho!Thunder lasted a short time, but it will come back to haunt him. Next chapter will have more conflict, Thunder and Argent doing stuff, and Ch'ah's moving into strike. Also, I like writing psycho!Thunder. Psycho!Argent, however, will be a lot worse. Please review!


	16. United

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

Major General Argent watched Thunder run off with Prysm in astounded horror. Her mouth quivered in shock, too paralyzed to speak. King Ch'ah tapped her shoulder comfortingly as she choked down a sob. She looked to him as he sighed. They stood in his chambers above the throne room where they watched the Titans previously engage in battle with her soldiers. Argent gazed down to the Titans below, watching Jinx intently as she was the leader. Monitors on the wall exposed her traitorous love and Prysm race through the dungeon's maze-like halls.

"I'm sorry you had to see this, Major General, but this is for the best," Ch'ah reassured.

"He's…he's…My blue boy is with Prysm?" she questioned, covering her mouth and trembled in outraged surprise.

"Yes, but do not fear. They will suffer," Ch'ah stated calmly.

Argent shook her head, retorting, "But she's your daughter, and Gan would never-"

Ch'ah felt a thorn of annoyance bludgeon his side. Attached to his arm was a metal cast with a series of buttons. Pressing one behind his back, Ch'ah frowned as a sharp pain slashed through Argent's mind and stopped her thoughts as she clutched her head. Regaining composure after her attack, Argent apologized, and Ch'ah smirked.

"What should we do about the Titans?" Argent demanded haughtily.

"Whatever you think fits," he replied.

Argent nodded, turning away and faced Colonel Hot Spot and Lieutenant Colonels Fringe and Risk. "Annihilate them. Don't let any of them live."

"Yes, ma'am!" the three shouted, saluting her and took off through a door.

"And where are you heading?" 

Argent continued walking as Ch'ah asked, breaking down the door with her plasma hand. "To seek revenge on Thunder for playing with my heart."

"Very good. Traitors must be dealt with swiftly."

…

"This way!" Prysm shouted, stopping in front of a vacant stairway. "These take you directly to your friends."

Thunder nodded, starting to go up when quiet footsteps behind him diverted his attention. He gestured for Prysm to hide, and she ducked behind the stairs. Charging up his hands, he quickly pivoted around to find another charge his or her hands as well. He waited for his opponent to come closer before gasping in delight.

"Lightning!" he cried, deactivating his power.

His brother reeled back, hesitating and kept his hands charged. "Brother, is this truly you or is this another of your tricks? When you acted so kindly, you had a sword up to my back!"

"No, I swear on my honor!"

"I thought honor was foolish to you."

"Never! Observe!" Thunder pointed to his neck, and there was a darkened circle where the collar strangled him. "I am Thunder! I am Gan! Brother, please, believe me!"

Lightning approached him tentatively, staring into his eyes, and slowly, his disposition brightened considerably. "Your eyes…they are normal. You are you again, bro-!"

An enormous plasma hand caught Lightning's waist and bashed him against the wall. Grunting as his head thwacked against the metal, he slid down and fell unconscious. The hand retracted, aiming towards Thunder as he summoned his cloud and avoided it. Prysm rushed out of hiding, tending to Lightning.

"He's alright, just some bruising on the back of his head," she informed.

Thunder stared at her incredulously. "Bruising? That is still horrible!"

"And I will make you suffer even more!" Argent roared, flying out and hovered in front of them.

"Dear," Thunder murmured in worry.

"Don't you 'dear' me! You were running off with Prysm? Prysm! Are you serious?" she blurted in contempt.

"…Oh, no, you can't think I'm with him. He's weird-looking," Prysm stated.

"Thus, my self-esteem is shortened," Thunder muttered sadly.

"Shut up!" Argent snapped, punching the wall and dented it. "You betrayed me, Thunder! I mean, really, Prysm? You could've hooked up with Kole or Jinx, but you just had to go with the stupid princess!"

"What are you implying?" Prysm barked, shoving Lightning into Thunder's arms.

"That you're hideous, and you're made of glass so kissing would be difficult."

Prysm reddened in fury, crying out in intendancy. "Oh! You're going to pay for that!"

"Bring it on!"

Thunder backed up against the wall as the girls shot at each other through the dungeon. Fear exploded in his mind, not wanting go abandon Lightning as he desired to rescue Argent from Ch'ah's twisted mind control. Thunder watched Argent create a large spear and slash it at Prysm's head, but the princess ducked just in time. Argent snatched her head and smashed her nose into her knee, smirking.

"You're so weak, it's disgusting," she sneered.

"Toni, stop, please!" Thunder entreated as Lightning began to stir. "Do not follow the mad king's rule for he is controlling you!"

Argent laughed abruptly, tossing Prysm aside. "You would say that. I thought you lived me."

"I do, and I always will," he pleaded as Lightning rubbed his eyes. "Trust me, I beg of you."

_Brother?_ Lightning thought wearily.

_Brother, I-!_

Argent suddenly used her plasma hands to snatch Lightning out of his arms and heaved him right in front of her. Snickering cruelly, she started crushing him, and Lightning's eyes bulged in pain as his bones snapped mercilessly. He felt as if they would shatter at any moment. His body stretched, face growing longer in agony as he wailed.

Thunder took off on his cloud, swerving up and grasped Argent in a bear hug, restraining her. As she was yanked back, Argent yelped, releasing Lightning unintentionally, and he fell into Prysm's open arms. Argent squirmed in his grip, trying to break free, but Thunder kept her pinned against his broad chest.

"What the heck are you doing?" she shrieked, trying to kick him off.

"I am sorry, but I must stop you! Prysm, take my brother and go!" he ordered as Argent feebly wriggled.

"Your friends are in the throne room. Join us there when you're done," Prysm reported, taking Lightning and shot up the stairs.

Argent elbowed him harshly across the face, darting down as Prysm ran up a protesting Lightning. Lightning attempted to shoot Argent in the face, shouting he would never accept as an in-law if she continued to behave like a maniac. Prysm unlocked the top latch open, avoiding Argent smashing her with a beam, but Thunder grasped her wrists and forced her to stop retaliating.

"Stop this! Ch'ah is controlling your mind!" Thunder proclaimed.

Argent leaped, still in his grasp and kicked him square in the chest, forcing him back. "Lair!"

"He has poisoned your mind, my dear." Thunder landed, backing up to the stairs. "I cannot permit you to go on without seeing the truth."

Argent snarled at him, raising his fists, one back and one forward, snapping, "Bring it, traitor!"

…

Prysm opened the latch and pushed herself out with Lightning. She found a pair of cherry-red boots in front of her and looked up to find Kid Flash narrowing his sky blue eyes on her before Lightning squeezed himself out and staggered to his feet. The elemental and sonic youth gazed at each other in awe before Kid Flash jubilantly laughed.

"Lightning!" he cried, hugging him. "Man, I'm so happy to see you! When Wildfire told me about you and Thunder, I flipped. I mean…" He pulled back, smiling charmingly. "…with General Thunder's craziness, I thought you were gonna die."

"I am glad to see you," Lightning admitted, holding Kid Flash's shoulders, looking down to him. "My brother is well once more, freed from his madness and is battling Argent below. Also, they are…" He shivered in disgust. "…together as mates."

Jinx popped up behind Kid Flash, shrieking, "Thunder and Argent are together?"

"I thought it would never happen! Awright! After what they've been through, they deserve each other," Kid Flash added.

"I…suppose so," Lightning murmured.

Wildfire bounded over to him, Kole still in his arms. Placing her gently on the ground like she was Sleeping Beauty, he embraced Lightning tightly and bawled profusively. Lightning gasped, rare color tinting his face even though he blushed multiple times around Kole in their prison cell. The prince was just as tall as Kole, and he hugged him back, hands on Wildfire's head and shoulders.

"I-I thought th-that I-I'd never see you a-again!" he sobbed, allowing his emotions to flood forth.

"Wildfire…" Lightning sighed, patting his head. "I am fine, I insist I am. Please, no more tears."

Wiping his eyes with both hands, Wildfire smiled and nodded. "Yes, yes, I will not cry anymore. I am very happy for you both. Kole is well, too."

"Just Kole?" Jinx remarked. "No 'Love Kole'?"

"Oh, yes, about that, I believe it would be better for me to call her Kole as she has found another," Wildfire explained, glancing back to Lightning.

"You…" Lightning stopped, grinning. "Thank you for protecting her."

"You are very welcome, friend."

"Anyway, it's too quiet here," Jinx stated. "We need to find Ch'ah soon before anything else goes wrong."

"Before you perish, you mean?"

Risk dashed out, aiming a punch to Lightning's face, but Kid Flash swiftly intervened and snatched his wrist. He slammed Risk into the ground, and Kid Flash whirled him around in a miniature tornado and flung him out of one of the windows. Risk's scream was heard for miles.

"Fringe, get moving!" Hot Spot shouted and powered up. Soaring out, he shot flaming waves at their heads, adding, "Risk can run back here."

"It's two against four," Jinx sniggered. "We let our guards down last time, but you're without your generals and outnumbered. Titans, half of you take Hot Spot, and the other two, take Fringe."

They completely forgot about Kole's body in the middle of the battlefield.

…

Thunder ducked under a plasma sword that began slashing around his head. Fleeing on his cloud, he brought her yards away from the staircase. Argent followed arms at her side and straightened herself like she was a torpedo. He glanced over his shoulder, finding her easily catching up to him.

Fighting Argent was something he wished never to do. He loved her for being her, for accepting him when so many people ran in fear from his appearance. She was kind and beautiful, even with her miserable past, Argent continued to live and strive forward as Titans South's leader. Moreover, he really adored her ruby eyes that reminded him of a volcano's startling lava. To battle her, to be on opposing sides, Thunder understood the agony and misery Lightning felt when he was controlled. The dreaded gut feeling that she could be trapped in insanity forever crossed his mind, but he pushed it away.

"Toni, please!" he started, but Argent kicked over his head.

"No more lies! I'm not listening to a freaking cheater like you!" she shrieked.

"What am I?"

"You went off with Prysm when we were a couple for not even a day! You went to go be her boyfriend or lover!"

"What?" Thunder screamed, stopping and hunched over. "I would never deceive or do such a horrid act! I love you!"

Argent stopped, considering his plea and landed. Crossing her arms as Thunder stepped off his cloud and gazed directly into her eyes, she saw his truthful nature. He would never trick her into believing false accounts of love. Still, he betrayed King Ch'ah, and Argent walked over to him, grasping the hand with her ring on it.

"Do you know why I gave you this?" she asked.

"To ensure I would attend your party?"

"Partially, but I wanted to test your loyalty to see if you'd give it back. You did come back, and you've always been loyal to me." Argent cringed, head beginning to throb. "Ow, why does me head-?"

Another painful surge ripped through her mind as suddenly as a lightning strike. Screaming, she fell to her knees with her tears in her eyes. The blood vessels grew far larger than his ever were, covering her white sclera completely. Argent suddenly roared and uppercutted him.

Thunder fell backwards, holding his jaw as Argent leaped to his feet and constructed a humongous pair of sharp, jagged scissors with her plasma. Frantically, he shouted at her to remember who she was, but Argent's mouth was twisted into a demonic, otherworldly smirk of perilous, precarious madness.

"Kill you, traitor. I'm Major General Argent. I never was Antonia Monetti. I was such a fool for joining Jupiter when my place was here. I'm not your little plaything, and once you're dead, I'll slaughter Titans South! Then, we'll go to Earth and conquer that stupid world! We'll crush those pitiful humans, Titans, Justice League, and everything will belong to us, the H'san Natall!" Argent burst into shrilly laughter, exposing the extent of her mind's demolition by Ch'ah.

"You would kill your mother, toll? The mother who loved you ever since birth?" Thunder demanded.

Argent paused, staring at Thunder in blank confusion. "M-my mother? What are you-?" A streaking memory of her lavished mother, Alfonsa, surfaced before a wave of agony rushed through her mind. Stopping her threats, Argent dropped to her stomach and screamed. "It hurts! Why does it hurt?"

"Toni!' Thunder shot over to her, embracing her tightly as searing pain struck her.

"Oh, oh, God! It hurts! M-my head," she wailed, leaning into Thunder. "Who's doing this to me? Is it you, blue boy? Are you hurting me?"

"It is King Ch'ah! He sends painful attacks to cut your thoughts of your old life! Antonia, I can help but, but you need to let me."

"No, Major General! He is lying to you like he always has!"

Startled at the intrusive snarl, Thunder looked into her ear and found an earpiece he had and hissed, "You are the one spouting lies to tears us apart!"

"He betrayed you! He went off with Prysm!"

"Dear, please, I would never hurt you." Grasping her shoulders, he pulled her into a deep embrace, whispering, "I swear on my life that I will love and cherish you forever."

Argent's mind erupted in agony, starting to cry, but she believed every word without the slightest hint of doubt. Cuddling into him, the night the shared blossomed in her mind like a fresh violet. How he held her was the same touch and gentleness as now. He had not changed, and he never would. Leaning up, she sniffled and wiped her eyes as Ch'ah snapped at her not to be fooled.

"You mean it?"

"I do. I always meant it. Toni, you are my dear, and I shall embrace you and be your love as long as there is breath in my lungs." Thunder smiled, kissing her forehead and plucked the earpiece out. Crushing it, he slid his fingers to her collar. "Let me free you. Let me remove the collar."

Hesitantly, Argent nodded and lifted her chin for better access. Thunder grunted, struggling to shred it apart as Argent winced from quick bolts of pain reverberating in her mind. Determined to save her, Thunder clenched the collar as tightly as possibly, growling as he valiantly attempted tearing it open as he had one for himself. However, her meek cries distracted him and forced him to rush. Argent covered her mouth, urging for him to hurry.

With a final yank, he tore it apart, and they fell backwards in the opposite direction. Thunder sighed, throwing it against the ground, sitting up. Finding Argent still on her back, he feebly called out to her. She stirred weakly as Thunder knelt down by her. Blinking, she sat up and stared down to her armor and wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"This armor looks horrible I want my old clothes," she grumbled before noticing Thunder. "Gan!"

Thunder yelped as Argent suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck. Flustered, he immediately held her back and stood up with her still in his strong arms. Stroking through her hair, Thunder soothed her, telling her everything would be better as she began to shiver. Playing with her ponytail as Argent stared at his fanned out, messy hair, they gazed at each other blankly for a long time.

"You're adorable with bangs," Argent gushed.

"And you look lovely with your hair 'up' I believe it is called."

"Uh, about me trying to kill you…"

Thunder laughed softly. "Do not feel horrid. I forgive you as you were not yourself."

Argent glanced back to the staircase and sighed. "So, Prysm's on our side? She really can't decide on anything."

"Dear?"

"Yeah?"

Thunder leaned down, kissing Argent who was in utter and total shock, but she melted into it. Their eyes closed, simply enveloping themselves in their bliss and joyous solitude. Nothing seemed to matter but each other. Moving apart, they grinned shyly to each other with pink-tinted cheeks.

"I wished to make up for Prysm's interruption," he explained, scratching the back of his head.

"I'm glad you did. I'm just wondering if lightning rod will have a heart attack if he sees us kiss," Argent giggled.

They paused, looking to the staircase and cursed under their breaths. They had forgotten that Prysm brought Lightning above into the throne room to adhere to their friends. Racing up the stairs, Argent blasted the top open, and a scream ruptured forth. The couple exchanged a confused glance and peered out. They wished they hadn't.

Kole glowered down to them, face bright red with the lower half of her shirt singed off along with the her left, light blue sleeve. The combatants surrounding her stopped to watch, and she tried to pull it down to cover herself up in aggravated embarrassment. Thunder and Argent cowered as she continued glaring at them.

"I'm going to kill you both," she snarled as Lightning hurried over. "I don't have any other clothes, so now I look like I'm homeless."

Lightning snickered until he noticed Argent. "Brother, she is-!"

"-completely back to normal," she finished, smiling and stepped up with Thunder behind her. "We're all together again."

"Thunder!" Kid Flash excitedly cried, dashing over and pushed him down with a hug. "You're not crazy anymore!"

"Uh, no, Kid Flash, I am not," he replied nervously, smiling quirkily.

"Huh, so you finally came to your senses, huh?" Jinx sneered, lightly punching Argent's shoulder.

"At least I got a man I'm proud to call mine," she retorted, pulling Thunder away from Kid Flash's glomming.

"Wait, you and Thunder?" Wildfire questioned.

"Well, finally," Kole muttered as Lightning stared at them blankly.

"Feh! She is still a silver wretch," Lightning grunted. "Where has Prysm gone? She brought me to you all, but she vanished."

They searched the room, wondering where Hot Spot and Fringe off to as well. Argent sighed, having hoping to make amends with the princess. Thunder placed his hand on her shoulder comfortingly as Lightning pretended to gag. Smiling up to him, she instantly resumed her leadership role with aplomb.

"Okay, no more splitting up. We're staying united as a team. We all in?" she asked, grinning confidently.

"You guys are my ride home, so I guess I'm stuck," Jinx replied, shrugging.

Kid Flash grinned, wrapping his arms around Thunder and Lightning, laughing. "You can count me in. It was getting boring standing around here."

"I am in as you humans say!" Wildfire chirped.

Kole simply nodded, smiling with Lightning who agreed as well.

"And I will always stay with you," Thunder murmured.

"Aw! How sweet!" Kole and Wildfire jeered in unison.

"He sounds like you," Jinx commented to her boyfriend.

"I know! I'm so proud," Kid Flash remarked, winking.

Lightning frowned at his brother, snapping, "Ha! You look foolish, brother, all nurturing."

"Don't be jealous, lightning rod," Argent ordered slyly. "We can share."

"Never! He is mine!" Lightning barked, grasping Thunder's arm. "I love him far more than you ever will!"

"Can we fight later?" Jinx questioned, looking up to a gray window far above their heads. "We're being watched."

…

During all of this, Cara Chi had her own problems, oblivious to her sons' peril. Queen Miraset lunged at her ferociously, knocking her short sword out of her hands. Miraset snatched her ponytail and punched her square across the cheek. Cara yelped, falling backwards and held her face as Alfonsa Lerado began screaming. Recovering, Cara sidestepped Miraset's kick and caught her leg. Flipping her over, she chopped down on Miraset's throat, knocking her out.

Panting shortly, Cara snatched her short sword and placed it back inside her work dress' violet cloth belt she borrowed from her son, Thunder. Dragging the fallen matriarch onto the couch, Cara watched her chest move up and down to signify she was alive. Sighing in relief, Cara smiled back to Alfonsa and bowed like how her sons would.

"Forgive me for interrupting the serenity of our home," she humbly requested.

"Oh, Cara! You're incredible!" Alfonsa squealed like preteen meeting her favorite boy band and hugged her.

"Hey, she's up."

Cara jerked out of Alfonsa's grasp to watch Miraset steal her sword and slash it down over her head. She froze, eyes intently bearing up at the steel that never killed rushing towards her skull. She uttered a quick prayer to Hsuan and pushed Alfonsa out of the way, waiting for death.

Yet, it never came. A yellow laser blasted her sword across the room. Stunned, Miraset scrambled for the sword when fingers suddenly embedded themselves into her chest. Miraset gagged, heart stopping briefly and fainted sideways. Cara and Alfonsa gapped at their saviors, and the former was definitely not happy to see her.

"Cara and Alfonsa," Adeline Kane stated. She had changed in a few ways, having changed her Hive Headmistress uniform and discarded it for a simple white blouse and knee-length ebony skirt with matching high heels. Her chestnut hair fell freely past her shoulders, and her dark eyes caught Cara's in absolute malice.

"Adeline," Cara hissed, collecting her sword and held it to her sword, poised to strike. "What business do you have here?"

"I reformed," Adeline snarled, glaring at the Vietnamese woman.

"What you did to my sons is unforgivable! Under your sick plot, my son died! You are just lucky he came back to life."

"And who are you?" Alfonsa asked in a slightly flirty tone, overlooking Adeline who stepped out of the way.

An older man in hid mid-fifties approached the two women who were in the mid-thirties. His disposition was gray, matching his hair that rounded as an evenly cut beard. The man's eyes were a dimmed blue as if they had been staring into the sun for hours. Adjusting his yellow spectacles, he placed his laser pistol back into his brown belt. He donned an emerald business suit and black dress shoes.

"Forgive us for arriving so late to tell you. We were unaware that the H'san Natall were back," the man stated, bowing his head. "My name is Loren Jupiter, the founder to Titans North and the teenaged heroes who bravely fought off the H'san Natall two years ago."

"You're Loren Jupiter?" Alfonsa gasped, covering her mouth. "My daughter told me you helped her control her powers, but she never actually spoke about the battle on that world."

"Yes, Antonia was…not very enthusiastic at the end of the fight," Loren admitted.

"But why is she here?" Cara demanded lowly, glaring over to Adeline.

"I reformed! I work as Mr. Jupiter's assistant," Adeline growled.

"Easy, Ms. Kane," Loren requested, patting her shoulder. "We are all parents to the Titans. Cara to Thunder and Lightning, Alfonsa to Argent, Adeline to Jericho and Rose Wilson, who has recently become the new Ravager, and myself to Omen."

"You are Omen's father?" Cara questioned.

"Yes, Lilith currently resides as a new member of Titans North which consists of herself, Wonder Girl, Jericho, The Herald, and Red Star. I fund the team with resources as I have done for the hybrids." He paused, frowning and adding, "Also, my daughter seems to be in a relationship with that idiotic caveman."

Alfonsa sat down on the couch, sighing and held her head up in her hands. "Well, why are you here? It can't be to talk about the latest in serial killers or whatever the Titans do."

"No, it is about Miraset. She was here to kidnap you two and use you as bait to force your children to side with the King Ch'ah, her husband and ruler of the H'san Natall," Loren explained, shocking them. "Outside of our universe, just a few galaxies over, is the H'san Natall world. Once they enslave the hybrids, they will come to Earth."

"What?" Cara shouted, eyes widening. "Then, what of our children? What of Titans South?"

Adeline sighed, shrugging. "That's the problem. They haven't checked in with Robin. We can only assume the worst."

Alfonsa burst into tears, sobbing harshly at the thought of her daughter's corpse in a pool of blood. She cursed her ex-husband, blaming him for everything with black mascara beginning to run down her face. Adeline rubbed her back in comforting circles, stating that she knew what it was like to lose a child as her older son, Grant, was rotting in jail.

"They are not dead," Cara adamantly stated, keeping herself firm and in control.

"You haven't heard from them in days!" Adeline snapped. "They must be dead!"

"No, I would know if they are dead. My heart would ache suddenly, and I would know. When Walter vanished, my heart did not hurt. I knew he was alive, and I knew my children were alive after we were all exiled from Hsuan. I prayed to my god everyday to keep them safe, hoping I would see them again," Cara touched her heart, smiling. "Years later, I reunited with my precious sons, Gan and Tavis, now Thunder and Lightning. Alfonsa, do you feel that Antonia is dead?"

Shaking her head, Alfonsa stammered, "N-no, I don't. I-I know she's alive."

"Mr. Jupiter, do not put false thoughts of our children's death in our heads," Cara requested sternly. Tapping her sword, she glared at him. "I do not take kindly to it."

Loren laughed heartily, patting her shoulder. "You are a lively woman, even if you act conservative. Allow me to take you to Titans North's headquarters and show you both exactly what we are doing. I've developed a way to help Titans South if they need it or if Ch'ah loses his mind, and the latter is the more reasonable hypothesis."

…

While Titans South is back together, the mysterious Loren Jupiter has a few cards up his sleeves which includes Titans North is getting involved. I bet you guys were surprised to see Adeline Kane again, original tormenter to Lightning and Kole in Gan and Tavis! Anyway, please review!


	17. Battle

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

"It's King Ch'ah," Argent mused as they all stared up to the gray window. "He brought blue boy and me up there to watch you fit Prysm and her cronies."

"But where has she gone?" Wildfire questioned.

"'Where' _troq_? Where do you think, the rest of you human trash?" King Ch'ah's voice boomed throughout the throne room, echoing like they were trapped in a cave.

"Show yourself!" Lightning demanded, throwing his hands out into fists.

"My daughter is a fool. She attempted to usurp me her own father, but look at her now."

The window suddenly crashed open, glass falling from the sky. The Titans and Wildfire covered themselves as the fragments of smashing around them, breaking even further. A body dropped, slapping against the ground with such force that it created a crater. Prysm's limp hand flopped out of the impact, twisted and flimsy like a zombie's. Her eyes were closed, looking as if to never see the world again.

"Prysm!" Argent screamed, running over and knelt by her. "Prysm! Prysm, speak to me!"

Her once colorful frame was gray, disposition bleak. There was no joyful sheen to her, no power or life in her cheeks. There was not even the softest tint of color to expose if she was alive. Argent desperately attempted to rouse her, but Prysm merely wobbled like a rag doll. Her head dropped sideways, but Argent touched her neck, feeling a faint thumping against her long fingers.

"She's just barely breathing. What did you do to her?" Argent shouted.

"While you Titans were busy with my loyal soldiers, she ran off to try and defeat me. Foolish daughters, they should simply obey their father."

"How could you? She still loves you after all the horrible things you've done!" Kid Flash barked. "Get down here so I can punish you!"

"Who says I am not there?"

Kid Flash gasped, feeling a frigid hand, colder than ice, clamp around his neck from behind. He took in a sharp breath, jerking his head to find an invisible fist slam into his nose. Skidding backwards, he looked around to the Titans who appeared just as shocked as he was. Readjusting himself, Kid Flash noticed that glass shards seemed to break even more, coming straight towards him.

"He's on the glass!" he cried.

"Very clever, and I thought you were the stupid one," King Ch'ah jeered, turning up from having no color in him. His glass frame became a calm light emerald with an arrogant smirk tugging at his sharpened features. On his arm was his controller, the device that commanded his soldiers through painfully poignant pulses to their minds from their collars. He hovered in the air and gave a flourished bow, chortling. "My dearest generals, your betrayal was truly unexpected. Though, I do not blame you, but our fine hybrid Lightning here."

"Be silent, madman!" Lightning snapped, raising his charged hand.

"Fortunately, it can be rectified."

A slight chill ran down Thunder's back at the first and last words. "What…what do you mean?"

Ch'ah simply grinned, cocking his head almost playfully. "Who says that the collars that were broken were the last ones?"

"Listen, Ch'ah, we outnumber you and your colonials," Jinx reasoned, stepping in front of Argent. "We can settle this peacefully, without any strife."

He stared at the girl, smirking deviously. "For a human girl, you certainly are bold, coming forth. You do not belong here, and, in fact, only three of you do. Why have you tagged along, humans and Tamaranean?"

"Personally, I came just for the ride, but this time, our world's at stake from an intergalactic invasion, so I'll do anything I can to stave off your plan," Kid Flash stated, crossing his arms and grinned dryly. "Besides, it was nice learning a bit more about my buddies."

Thunder glanced over to Kid Flash, smiling gently at him as the sonic youth winked supportively at him. "Thank you."

"Yeah, I had nothing better to do." Jinx shrugged, shaking her head. "I don't know why I hang around you morons anyway, but, still, it's better than a life of villainy."

"I was kinda forced into it by Gnarrk, but I learned a lot about my friends…" Kole glanced over to Lightning, leaning into him, which earned the wary glance of his brother. "…especially this guy."

Lightning snorted, ruffling her hair. "Dear, crystal witch, do not patronize Lightning."

"I wanted to go blow something up, defeat you simply because I loathe you, or see Kole undressing along this wonderful journey," Wildfire admitted, earning strange stares from everyone, Ch'ah included. "I am a prepubescent youth who is almost a teenager, and a prince who lives in a castle with all of the delightful-looking girls down below in the villages. What am I supposed to gaze at besides her beauty?"

Lightning was held back by Thunder and Kid Flash when he attempted to go strangle Wildfire.

"…Interesting…responses," Ch'ah slowly murmured, rather creeped out at Wildfire's declaration.

"But what are you planning? What was the point of taking us as generals?" Argent hissed.

"I might as well reveal to you my plan." Ch'ah levitated a few more yards into the air, mocking them just by appearing taller. "I was to collect the hybrids and enslave them into my service. The three smartest hybrids are, arguably, Thunder, Argent, and Lightning, so I-"

"Dude, Lightning? A general? A _smart_ general?" Kid Flash interjected.

"He'd kill us both and take command of your army and kill you," Argent bluntly stated.

"I would not!" Lightning paused, then added, "Well, not my brother, of course…"

Argent gasped. "So, you would kill me!"

Lightning was about to concur, but noted Thunder's murderous glare and quickly shook his head.

"That's what I thought." Argent shared a smirk with Thunder, and Lightning internally vomited.

"You people are idiots. Can I continue?" Ch'ah asked, his hand to his temple.

"What were we talking about again?" Kid Flash as Thunder shrugged.

"I thought he was doing some overrated monologue like the Brain when he first rounded all the villains up," Jinx replied.

Argent shook her head, snapping, "Just let him continue so we know what we're up against."

"As I was saying, when I had my generals, I would give them mobile forces among my spacecrafts. They would lead three charges to Earth and conquer the planet," Ch'ah explained curtly, smirking down at them.

"Why is it always Earth? I mean, can't you go after Cironell?" Jinx questioned.

Ch'ah was not expecting that question, looking around to anywhere, but Jinx. "Um…because it's Earth. Earth is this planet filled with weaklings and flabby creatures. In fact, all you do on that world is plague each other with famine, war, and unneeded wanton decimation of groups of people, nature, and natural resources. I would be doing you a favor by conquering your pitiful world."

"But there are people willing to save our planet against those who would dare destroy our world," Thunder boldly argued. "While others use their power for the benefit of themselves and the suffering of others, the Titans were created in order to stop them. You are no exception, Ch'ah."

Laughing, Ch'ah shook his head, shouting, "You do not understand, fool! Look at your planet closely, and tell me that it is worth saving."

"It is," Kid Flash stated, crossing his arms. "So what if we're just humans? You think we're the weaker race? You're just gonna have to learn the hard way that us 'weaklings' can kick your butt. Come on, Ch'ah, quit talking, and let's get into the action."

"Magnificently stated," Lightning complimented cheerily, a rarity Kid Flash had never heard which brought a taut grin to his face.

Ch'ah's expression darkened considerably, narrowing his emerald gaze onto the Titans. Raising his arm, he shouted for his army to appear in a boisterous, booming voice that dominated the entire planet. The Titans frantically looked around as invisible doors suddenly opened, walls imminently vanishing as the glass and precious metals disappeared. Colonel Hot Spot, Lieutenant Colonels Risk and Fringe, and an uncountable amount of H'san Natall dressed in white armor similar to the colonels stormed in. Ch'ah smirked at their disheartened expressions when the Titans backed up together in a crude circle, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth in assumed victory.

"I bet the generals are wishing they remained on my side," he taunted, earning a disdainful glare from Argent.

"Ya know what? This isn't even the huge amount I faced two years ago," she sneered. "We can take them!"

"You sure? 'Cause I'm not liking the bloodlust they have emanating from their faces," Jinx commented nervously.

"Are you frightened, witch? You should not be for we shall be the victors of this fateful battle!" Lightning jeered as she glared over to him.

"They do look formidable, but our combined powers should defeat them," Thunder stated.

"Finally! I am able to restore my honor for the offensives you cretins put my sister and me through!" Wildfire declared.

"Then we'll win, and Lightning and I will finally be able to-!" She cut herself off, finding Lightning place his finger to his lips as the others stared between them suspiciously. "-go have that awesome debate over whether Shakespeare existed!"

"Yes! That man who we will bicker over!" Lightning quickly added, laughing verbosely before trailing off timidly.

"Oh, my God, they're together," Jinx mused, stunned.

"Charge!" Ch'ah commanded.

An eruption of roars with a volcano's fury exploded at the order, and the soldiers raised their weapons. Hot Spot shot out, taking control and led the flurry of blows and weapons. The heroes instantly took to attention, racing out with their own battles cries and lunged into the melee. Lightning snatched Kole's hand, and she bent forward, turning into a full-body crystal that he heaved into the air. Charging her with as much of his namesake as he could, he gave a quick bark and threw her forward like a boomerang. Kole swung through the masses, smashing the warriors in their face and shoulders. Weapons dropped as Kole flipped back over to Lightning, changing back to normal.

Wildfire carried Jinx high over the guards as they began firing lasers from their guns. Swinging around in a complete circle like a flip, he released Jinx who eloquently danced on their heads, flicking her wrists as hexes were cast left and right. Disabled weapons exploded, brief smog floating up their faces as Wildfire unleashed a massive starbeam that cut straight through the ranks.

Kid Flash darted out, smashing through the warriors with his impeccable speed. He glared up at Fringe who slashed his claws at his face. Instantly, he ducked under his legs and snatched his ankles. Jumping into the air, Kid Flash vibrated his molecules along his body that jolted up to Fringe's. In his split second of agony, he slugged Fringe across his jaw.

"That was for knocking me out back then," he growled and grabbed his collar, "but I'm sure you'll be cool once I get this off!"

"No! Risk, get in there, and stop him!" Ch'ah ordered.

Risk dashed out, almost going unnoticed by Kid Flash. Wrapping his arm around his throat, Risk ripped him back and slammed him into the floor. Grunting, Kid Flash aimed his foot towards Risk's chin, but the enslaved soldier bashed his elbow into his ankle, and a sickening crack echoed through the room. Sharp agony shot through his left leg and into the rest of his body. Risk smirked, grasping his ankle and twisted it the wrong way, resulting in another snap.

"Idiot! Absolute idiot! You shouldn't have even tried to go against us!" Risk taunted, throwing his injured ankle between his hands and squeezed it, resulting in a tormented scream from the back of Kid Flash's throat.

Recovering, Fringe sneered down to the writhing sonic youth and aimed his dagger-sharp claws to Kid Flash's neck. "One slice, and it's over. Say your prayers, human."

Kid Flash felt himself pale as the black, knife-like talons swooped in like a hawk dashing towards its prey. His eyes widened in horror, reflecting on his life for a moment, thinking of Jinx, and how she was his reason for staying a teenaged hero. He was going to hang up his spandex, but he saw her, believing she could be different. The determination to reform her kept Kid Flash as a hero. Silently thanking her, he closed his eyes and awaited his final breath.

"Wallace!" Thunder cried, plowing his fist into Fringe's face. Slamming a beam into Risk, he knelt by his cringing friend with desperation on his face. "What is wrong? Your ankle, I heard the crack…"

Kid Flash managed a smirk, sitting up with his help. "My ankle…it's definitely broken. Guess I wasn't that much help, huh?"

"You are a noble warrior and such a wondrous friend," Thunder stated much to his surprise. "You helped all of us, especially Jinx. Do not think of yourself as a weakling or a coward."

Kid Flash grinned, chuckling a bit and punched his shoulder lightly. "Thanks, man. I needed that. Huh? Hey, watch out!"

Thunder gasped, grasping Kid Flash in his arms and summoned his cloud. Leaping on it, he swerved out of the way from Hot Spot's flames. Glaring at him, he was ready to attack when Kid Flash tapped his shoulder, gaining his attention.

"Thunder, think I can use your cloud for the rest of this?" he asked.

Thunder paused, nodding and asked why.

"I can still make my tornadoes. Even with my broken ankle, I can still fight. You know, all because of your pep talk." Kid Flash smiled, giving him a thumbs-up and winked.

Thunder grinned back, nodding and leaped off his cloud and allowed Kid Flash total control of his previous cloud. Landing on top of some goons, he kicked him away and found Argent exchanging blows with a few of the soldiers. They caught gazes, smirking, and he darted over to her, charging up his hands. Roaring, he unleashed his namesake that she leaped over and landed on his shoulders. Smirking, she added her own power that spiraled along his and slashed through the soldiers.

"Half of them are practically gone!" Jinx shouted, blasting through another horde.

"What are you idiots doing? There's only six of them, and three of them are human!" Ch'ah shrieked in disgust, throwing his arm back. "Unless you wish to die at my hand."

Hot Spot shook his head rapidly. "N-no, sire, we'll crush them. Soldiers, attack! Kill them!"

"Getting wound up already?" Kid Flash sniggered, bringing the cloud up behind Ch'ah. Throwing his arm back, he vibrated his arms and created a tornado that smashed Ch'ah straight into the ground. "Looks like the good king isn't as great as we thought he was!"

Ch'ah snarled at him, wiping his lip and glared over to the stunned soldiers. "Move, you morons! Move!"

The soldiers instantly recollected themselves as Ch'ah dashed up to Kid Flash. Jinx stared at him in shock, but watched as Kid Flash suddenly winced and sucked in a breath. Turning to Thunder, she demanded to know why he was on his cloud.

"His ankle is broken," Thunder grimly informed to the horror of his friends. "He wishes to use my cloud as means of transportation, to not be a burden."

Jinx stared up to Kid Flash, watching as he expertly swerved Thunder's cloud above a colored beam shot out from an enraged Ch'ah. Her eyes wandered, following him as he stuck his tongue out childishly to rile the king up. He was an idiot, but he was her idiot. A taut smirk dissolved her nervousness, returning back to the fight with hexes shooting out from her hands.

Lightning darted over to his brother, slight desperation in his voice as he cried, "Brother, observe Ch'ah's arm! What is that peculiar device?"

Thunder immediately took to his brother's gaze, finding the strange controller. He watched as Ch'ah pressed a few buttons before he found Hot Spot cringing and holding his hand in agony. Thunder gasped, releasing the pain he suffered was just like his and Argent's under the mad monarch's brainwashing.

"My friends, be wise as my brother had done and observe his arm! That odd device is controlling their minds, twisting their souls to evil! It must be destroyed!" Thunder shouted.

Twelve eyes locked onto Ch'ah's arm, and the ruler of the H'san Natall gasped. All of the heroes fled from their battles and dashed towards him, but one. Kole remained behind, hidden by Prysm's unconscious body and quietly crafted a weapon. Her back was turned from the violence, gulping and felt quick jabs and pangs of anxiety flood through her. Heavy footsteps, monstrous roars, the fallen bodies, just as Omen previously predicted, but she wondered if her vision had already come true.

"Hey, Ch'ah!" she barked, earning everyone's attention. It levitated above her head much to everyone's surprise at its sheer girth. Utilizing her powers to their fullest extent, she constructed a massive crystal stalagmite, inspired by the world's own dark beauty. "Dodge this."

Heaving back, she grunted and chucked it forward. It streamed like a missile, locked onto its target with no regrets. Ch'ah's body froze, even though his mind screamed at him to flee. Everything went light blue like the crystal that captivated his vision. He managed to move to the right, left arm flailing back when the crystal slashed through him.

"…Whoa," Kid Flash mustered, dropping the cloud down to ground level.

"Did she do it?" Jinx quickly questioned.

"His arm!" Wildfire screeched. "His arm is gone!"

Kole's eyes dilated, gasping in horror at what she had done. Ch'ah hovered in the air, gurgling for words as he slowly glanced down to the stump of an arm he had. From his fingertips to his elbow, everything was gone. The device was destroyed in the crash, but all that was left of the king's arm was an uneven sliced stump with yellow blood pouring out, Ch'ah sucked down a long breath before screaming in outrage and agony.

"Yo, what just happened?" Risk asked, removing his collar along with Hot Spot and Fringe. "Why am I dressed up like we're in the Renaissance?"

"You guys!" Hot Spot cried incredulously, racing over to them as Fringe attended Prysm. "What…what happened? Why are we here? What's going on?"

"You can't remember?" Argent asked, surprised.

Hot Spot shook his head. "All I remember is Prysm attacking me and then…nothing."

"Same for me!" Risk agreed, bobbing his head.

"Me, too," Fringe stated slowly, holding Prysm in his arms as Risk gasped at her state.

"Is she okay?" he questioned in shock.

"She's breathing," Argent informed, "but we need to finish this. We're on the H'san Natall world, guys. We need your help."

"And we shall explain our affairs at a later time," Thunder promised.

"Oh, and thanks for breaking my ankle," Kid Flash snarled, glaring at Risk who blinked back in confusion.

Lightning strayed from the group, heading over to Kole who had slumped to her knees in an astounded stupor. Kneeling down next to her as she whimpered from her heinous deed, Lightning wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug and whispered for her to stop worrying.

"B-but I-I c-could've killed him. I-I didn't mean t-to do it," she stammered, clinging to Lightning as he shushed her gently.

"Fear not, love, you saved us," Lightning murmured, kissing her forehead softly.

Lightning and Kole paused, realizing what he had just done. The elemental found his knees to be very interesting, gazing at them in embarrassment. Kole smiled, wiping her eyes and hugged him tightly. Lightning reddened, finding Thunder staring blankly at him before he tossed a quick surge of his power that sent him scattering away on his heels.

"Thanks, Lightning. You're gonna be a good boyfriend," she sneered as he frowned.

"Woman, do not tempt Lightning."

"Sexist."

"I am not!"

Wildfire tapped their shoulders, pointing up to Ch'ah. "The king has ventured back into madness."

Ch'ah stormed down to them, breathing heavily as he glared down to Kole. Emerald glass instantly transformed to the color of fresh, recently spilled and newly killed blood. His eyes swapped for orange, blood vessels snapping around his eyes. "You! You little human wretch!"

"That sounds strangely close to silver wretch," Argent commented.

"My arm! You severed my arm!" he screamed, charging up his hand with crimson energy. "Die!"

Lightning snatched Kole in his arms and shot away with Wildfire leaping backwards. Hot Spot aimed his flames at Ch'ah's head, missing when Ch'ah flew back up. The king screeched at the rest of his pitiful army to attack, but they knew when they were all outmatched. They dropped their weapons, abandoning their monarch in his time of crisis and stepped aside.

"You fools! You idiots! You're all nothing compared to the great King Ch'ah! I took down planets before any of you were born!" he wailed.

"You're just pathetic," Jinx hissed.

"I'm worthless, human scum? Ha! Your ship, your only transportation has been destroyed by my army when they weren't cowards. Your stuck here forever!" Ch'ah burst into insane laughter, but suddenly cut himself off, feeling a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he was bashed in the face by Kid Flash's lethal fist.

"That was for punching me like the chicken you are," he snarled.

The Titans cheered for Kid Flash until he cried out and dropped to his side. Thankfully, Thunder's cloud protected him as he meekly massaged his ankle. All the bones in his ankle were shattered, only making it worse by fighting. Kid Flash cursed under his breath, bringing the cloud back down to his friends.

"Wallace, you must stop," Thunder urged, picking him up in his arms. "If you go forth with any more attacks, you may die."

"No…I don't want to be useless," Kid Flash grumbled. "Just gimme your cloud, Thunder, please. I hate sitting on the sidelines, not when we've come to so far that you guys are gonna make me sit out."

"Wally," Jinx whispered, taking his hand. Leaning down, she kissed him softly, and his eyes flew open at the suddenness of it all. Pulling away, she watched as he blushed and smirked quirkily. "I don't want you dying. You have to take me out, ya know, on a date."

Kid Flash stared at her before laughing quickly. "Okay! A date, yeah! Wherever you wanna go! So long as it's with you!"

The other Titans gazed around each other as Risk made "kissy" faces until Lightning and Hot Spot smacked him. He whined, glancing over his shoulder and found Ch'ah charging up his hand.

"Hands up!" Risk shouted.

"Perish-!"

Before he could throw that curveball, a shriek of a horn exploded in the room. A few yards behind them was a recognizable portal, and they gazed inside, finding the members of Titans North smirking to them with The Herald lowering his Gabriel's Horn. He nodded to Red Star, and the Russian Titans shot out of his hand, and a radiation beam blasted forth into Ch'ah into the wall, knocking him unconscious.

"Hello, everyone!" Wonder Girl chirped happily, waving to him. "Come on through here. We had a feeling that you all were stuck."

"Wonder Girl, Omen, Jericho, Herald, Red Star!" Thunder jeered, smiling. "You have come in such wondrous timing."

Jericho waved as Herald smirked, saying, "Well, well, lookie what we got here. It's a little Titans party going on."

"Herald, Jericho, move so they c'n get their butts over here," Gnarrk ordered, snatching their heads and pushed them over.

"Gnarrk!" Kole cried happily, running to their portal and stopped.

"Kole! Lightning kept his promise! Weird," Gnarrk murmured, smiling.

"I can hear you," Lightning growled.

"Okay, let's go home," Argent stated, smiling. "We can finally go home."

"Ladies first," Kid Flash sneered as the boys allowed the girls to go first.

Kole and Jinx smirked, stepping through the portal and ended up among their friends in Titan North's living room, which was still being built. It was designed similarly to the five core Titans back in Jump City, but without the couch and tables. Argent smirked over to Thunder, blowing him a kiss that he caught and stepped through. Hot Spot, Risk, and Fringe soon followed with the unconscious Prysm in the furry behemoth's arms.

"I am never going to accept this," Lightning grunted.

"But you promised you would back in the dungeon!" Thunder whined.

"I was desperate to get you back to being my brother," Lightning stated, crossing his arms.

"Oh! We are going to Earth! Perhaps I can see my sister!" Wildfire jeered, flipping around in the air.

"Yeah, and the Storm Twins here can go on actual dates," Kid Flash teased as they blushed. Being picked up by Wildfire, he smiled over to the brothers. "Come on, guys, let's go home."

"Not yet!"

Lightning's ankle was suddenly snatched, and he fell over. A beam shot Kid Flash and Wildfire into the portal and straight into Herald. The yellow elemental flailed, trying to escape, but watched as Ch'ah dragged him backwards. Thunder shouted his brother's name, rushing after him and snatched his arms, pulling him up. Ch'ah began laughing wickedly, struggling to his feet and pointed to the portal.

Thunder and Lightning froze as they slowly turned around. The portal was gone.

…

Yes, we have more anger and rage coming up! Plus, more psychoness by Ch'ah and one of the brothers! Who? You'll see soon! Review please!


	18. Forgiveness

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

Thunder darted back over to where the portal was, frantically looking around and found nothing. Their hope evaporated as the means of escape died so rapidly that they could not understand what happened. The blue elemental glared back over the insane ex-King Ch'ah as Lightning backed up to Thunder with his hands charged.

"Now you're trapped," Ch'ah sneered, grinning wickedly. "You can't escape now. Oh, no, you're going to be stranded here forever!"

"You madman," Lightning hissed through gritted teeth. "Why did you trap only us?"

"I see hope for you two under my rule as my generals! I am King Ch'ah, after all! I will have what I desire! Earth will be mine!" Ch'ah shrieked.

"You are no king," Thunder growled, voice rumbling. "Your army, your people, your precious daughter, they all have deserted you. You rule over no one."

Ch'ah sucked down a breath like he was hissing over a wound. Glancing down to his amputated arm, he snarled with a lion's fury and shouted, "I rule this planet! Everything is mine! Mine, I tell you!"

"Nothing belongs to you! Your greed and lust for power have driven you to the farthest corners of insanity!" Thunder retorted.

Lightning remained quiet, watching their banter in little to no interest. His gaze wandered the room, thinking of everything he suddenly lost. His friends, his mother, Kole, what they do without them? Lightning looked down, clenching his fists with his power dissipating when Ch'ah's voice rose up again.

"You think that I am mad, that I rule nothing? Thunder, you moron, I control this very room!" Ch'ah sneered and slammed his hand onto the ground. "She may have stripped me of one arm, but I have another!"

Lightning watched as Thunder suddenly rushed out with his own power to Ch'ah. Before Lightning could tell him to halt, he saw a glint of crystal spark his vision upwards. Gasping, he realized that a crystal sword shot out of the sky, and Lightning understood what Ch'ah meant: He controlled the crystals in the room, perhaps the entire planet. It spiraled down towards Thunder's unknowing back, and Lightning rushed after him.

"Brother! Look out!" Lightning wailed, arms out in front of him with his lower half transmuted for more speed.

Thunder had no time to react as Lightning shoved him out of the way. The sharp, piercing noise of ripped flesh slashed through his ears along with his brother's startled, painful groans. Hesitantly, Thunder turned around with his mouth slacking in horror. His breath came in abnormally slow, and Thunder shouted his brother's name fearfully.

The sword stuck straight through Lightning's chest, tip facing out. The yellow elemental coughed, blood dripping down his mouth with wide, pale yellow eyes that stared at nothing. Slowly, Lightning shakily looked down to the weapon that smashed straight through his body. Metal stole his warmth, making him colder than ice as Lightning flopped down to his knees.

"Brother!" Thunder cried frantically, holding him as Ch'ah waved his hand, and the sword came out.

Lightning spurted out blood, staining the crystal floor. Everything seemed blurry like a mystifying rain. A gaping hole resided in his chest, thankfully not near his heart. Lightning's breath came in uneven, staggered gasps as he clung to Thunder. Staring right at him with glazed, unfocused eyes, he smiled.

"I love you…brother," Lightning weakly cooed, struggling to remain awake.

"I love you, Lightning," Thunder whispered, starting to cry and stroked Lightning's face. "Please, please, be strong, my brother. Do not die."

"Heh, now you know…the sorrow I felt…during your death," Lightning chuckled, shaking his head. "I was always…so happy…with you."

"Do-do not say such things! You will live!" Thunder barked, wiping his eyes of clear, salty tears and brought Lightning closer.

"Oh, brother, you were always so optimistic." Lightning's hand shot up to his mouth, coughing violently with blood staining his fingers crimson much to Thunder's horror. Staring at his hand, Lightning groaned and leaned into his shoulder. "I love you, Gan. I…I told Kole…that I loved her, too. Now, it is truly tragic…that I will not be…able to see her. I was…going to take her to…a carnival. She likes games, after all, amusing, fun games."

"Then live for her," Thunder ordered boldly, but he knew it was an act.

"Live for two people, brother?" Lightning chortled softly. Leaning up, he kissed Thunder's cheek and reclined back down into his strong, warm arms. "How…interesting. I live for you and Kole, but…I will not…be able to…" Lightning released a small cry, pain shooting through his abdomen. "It hurts, brother! Death…hurts…"

"You cannot die! Lightning, please!" Thunder sobbed, crying harshly. Tears flowed freely down his face as Lightning stared somberly at him. "Just live, brother! Live! Do not let this…this bastard take you away from me! Please…I live for you. I love you."

Lightning placed his hand on his circle and smiled. "I…I always…lived for you…Gan…I live for you…I love you, too. You and Argent will be…very happy together."

Slowly, Lightning's hand dropped from Thunder's shoulder. His eyes fluttered for a few more moments before his lids closed. A still smile remained etched on his alabaster face. Blood coated his lips and chin, dripping down like scarlet lava raining from the sky. He resembled Chan To on his deathbed. Tavis "Lightning" Williams was gone.

Thunder froze, staring down at his brother's placidity and stillness. Whimpering his name, he realized Lightning no longer responded to thoughts or words. Feeling for any pulse, Thunder felt the chilling terror of no beating heart in his brother's body. Touching his cheeks, he still felt the warmness of Lightning's gentle kiss and placed Lightning on the ground. Tears streaked down his face, begging Hsuan to bring him back.

"Bring him back!" Thunder wailed, clutching Lightning tightly against him. "He is my brother! My only brother! You cannot take him away from me, not after everything we have gone through! He never deserved the toll of death! This is unfair! Why does every blasted time one of us is separated, the other must suffer? First, my fathers, Chan and Walter, and my brother, you cruel deity?" Thunder instantly turned to Lightning, sniffling and begged, "Lightning, please! Arise, wake up, look at me, or I will die without you. I love you, and I am sorry for all of the pain I caused you here. I became a monster like you said, and you still loved me. How, I will never understand, but you trusted me when I could not look at myself. Oh, Tavis! Please, come back! Come back to me! I love you…"

Ch'ah stifled laughter, cutting Thunder's broken soul to change in dismal fury. The dethroned monarch pranced over to him and placed his hand onto his shoulder, stating, "You realize that if you stayed my general, this would not have happened."

Thunder screamed fierily, smashing his fist across Ch'ah's face. Skidding back, Ch'ah groaned and slapped his hand on the ground. A spear shot out into his hair, and he threw it swiftly, but Thunder slapped it away. Each time Ch'ah created a sword, spear, or laser, Thunder simply deflected everything with his fists or namesake. Fear crossed Ch'ah's expression, and he scurried backwards until his head connected lightly with his massive throne.

"You bastard," Thunder snarled, dropping to one knee and snatched his throat. "He was my brother!"

Thunder repeatedly bashed his fist into Ch'ah's face, furious cries ripping from his throat with each palpable hit. The raw beating echoed into the still room with Lightning's corpse only a few yards away. He grunted with each powerful punch, knuckles slamming into Ch'ah's face, practically breaking everything. Thunder cursed him, glaring at him with as much rage as the elemental ever mustered.

"You're…just like…me!" Ch'ah growled through Thunder's hits.

"What?" Thunder snarled.

"Just like me! You're exactly like me!" Ch'ah's face was bloodied, bruised, and broken like a freshly-killed zombie. "Our rage is filled empowers us! We can kill, General Thunder! We can kill! Your father, remember that? You killed him! I killed your brother! We're exactly like!"

Thunder shook his head rapidly, breathing shakily and raised his fist. Slamming it down, he effectively broke Ch'ah's nose with a sickening crack, and screamed through punches, "I am not, not, not like you! Not! Not! Not! I am not! I am not like you! I am not!"

Ch'ah's head fell weakly over, and Thunder wondered if he had killed him. However, Thunder's hatred arose like a woman scorned, and he charged his hand with all of his power. Barely having the strength to defend himself, Ch'ah's eyes wavered over to Thunder as he smirked wickedly and growled at him to pray to whatever he believed in.

"This is for all the pain you have caused. All the horror, torment, death, suffering, agony, pain! This is for you, my brother!" Thunder shrieked, bringing his hand up.

"Gan, stop!"

Startled, Thunder quickly looked around to find the emerald-glowing apparition of his father, Walter Williams. Thunder gazed at him in shocked awe and struggled to his feet with his power exploding in his hand. His head cocked to the side as Walter descended towards him, lower half transmuted to a jade lightning bolt.

"Walter?" Thunder murmured, lowering his hand suspiciously. "How are you here?"

"I saw your madness. You've become just like me at your age," Walter explained, scratching through his blonde hair and sighed.

"I did not want this!" Thunder cried, looking over to Lightning's bloodied corpse. "Please, my brother is gone! Help me, Walter! What can I do to bring my brother's soul back?"

Walter looked at him pityingly before looking away to Thunder's horror. "That is not up to you. Lightning can choose to come back or not. Needless to say, seeing your…act truly amused me."

"Shut up!"

Walter smiled, flying in front of Ch'ah who gaped at his presence. "Well, well, look at how the mighty have fallen, Ch'ah. If I wanted to, I could possess your body and force you to kill yourself by suffocation. I could make you not breathe, and that would the end of your worthless life."

"N-no…don't," Ch'ah meekly begged.

"Stop!" Thunder commanded, voice booming.

Walter scoffed at him. "Tch, I wasn't going to. I just desired to frighten him. You were going to kill him, weren't you, Gan?"

"Of course I was! He took everything from me! The toll of death is not close to the worst punishment he should receive! He deserves to die a thousand times!"

"Do you realize how crazy you sound? How uncharacteristic this planet has made you?" Walter leaned forward, and Thunder saw actual sadness in his pale orbs. "Your brother was right. You are a monster."

Thunder froze, shaking his head and denied his father's statement. His charged power evaporated in his hands as he pointed to himself in exasperation. "No…no, I am not. I am not the monster, Walter. I am not him! I am not a monster! He is!"

"But you're beating on an old man who cannot move," Walter argued solemnly. "What good will vengeance do when you have nothing?"

Thunder took his advice to heart, gasping and dropped to his knees. He was a monster, twisted in his thoughts that brought out bloodlust and hatred to their fullest extent. Holding his head, Thunder's eyes widened in horror and shook his head in sheer fear at what he had become.

"Walter…help me…" Thunder whimpered. "What do I do? My brother is gone, and my friends and dear are on Earth. I am stuck here with no one!"

Walter frowned.

"Well, yes, you are here, but you are dead!"

Sighing in annoyance, Walter leaned down and pinched Thunder's cheeks. "Just shut up, and listen to me."

Thunder cringed as Walter pulled his cheeks before bopping him over the head. Yelping, he was smacked again since he was told not to talk, and he did.

"Answer this, and it will decide your fate: Will you kill Ch'ah for vengeance and lose everything or forgive him in pity and gain everything?"

Thunder paused, gazing over his shoulder to Ch'ah who had passed out from the wounds Thunder inflicted on him. All of his suffering, his brother's death, and how he used him haunted the blue elemental. Looking down at his general ensemble, Thunder closed his eyes and sighed. Kneeling down towards Ch'ah, he bowed his head in respect.

"For all the pain you have issued to Thunder, I forgive you."

Walter smiled, placing his hand on Thunder's shoulder. "Good choice."

"Well, it does feel as my soul has been elevated, but my brother…my dear…"

"Don't worry about Lightning. Chan's taking care of him."

…

"You're even stupider than Gan!" Chan To shrieked, bopping Lightning over the head with his cane.

"Oh, forgive me for saving my brother's life!" Lightning retorted, but Chan smacked him over the head.

"Ah, that feels good! I haven't hit you in so long!" Chan sneered as Lightning whined and held his head in agony.

As Thunder dealt with their blood father, Lightning was sent to a white plane after his death. He saw everything Thunder, nearly vomiting as each sickening crack of Walter's facial bones snapped. Lightning had covered his mouth, but felt a shadow loom over him and begrudgingly looked away to find Chan glaring at him before getting smacked in the forehead.

"This place is like how my brother described it when he…perished once," Lightning stated, looking around the dismal white plane with a glass floor.

"Yes, this place is truly made for those who are uncertain of death," Chan explained.

"Send me back!" Lightning entreated, clinging to his robes. "Chan, please, send me back! I am not prepared to part from my beloved brothers, friends, and Kole!"

"…What the heck is a 'Kole'?" Chan asked. "Oh, your girlfriend."

Lightning reddened, turning scarlet like cherries. "I…suppose so…"

"…That's weird."

"Go die."

"We're already dead."

"You blasted-!" Lightning cut himself off, crossing his arms and turned away. "Shut up, old one."

Chan smacked him over the head with his cane again. Lightning yelped, holding his head. "Tavis, let me speak."

Yet, Lightning sighed, looking down towards his forlorn brother. A sharp gasp erupted from his throat even though his lungs no longer expanded as he watched his brother pound and maim against Ch'ah's face, screaming that he was not anything like him. Falling to his knees. Lightning covered his mouth with his hand before his eyes crossed over to his corpse and cried out in terror.

Blood stained his orange and yellow armor. The gaping circle in his chest was like an eternal crimson hole that seemed to suck in his body. Lightning could have vomited if he was alive, and his head ripped away into Chan's robes. Gripping the scarlet cloth, he trembled, back to being that simpering thirteen-year-old on the elder's death.

"I-I want to live, Chan," Lightning stammered. "Tell me! How do I return to life?"

"The way I cannot help your brother cannot help you, my child," Chan morbidly informed to Lightning's shock. "They way your brother is…acting, it affects the process. When you were the one alive, you had a sense of self-control. Gan needs help. Walter's there to assist him."

"My father! It this some sort of joke?" Lightning blurted.

"Yes, I still hate him, but he is closest to Gan at this point. Both were generals under Ch'ah. They know the same pain."

Lightning reluctantly nodded, biting his lip. "What must my brother do?"

"He must forgive Ch'ah."

Pale orbs widened in immediate distress. Leaning against his master, he instantly felt a sense of abandonment. It would never work. His brother's rage was so poignant that it was like a raging fire. Not even the loving rain could quell the beastly flames of vengeance. Hopelessness consumed Lightning's chest, but Chan cupped his chin and urged him to look down.

Lightning watched as Thunder and Walter spoke, almost bickering. Pressing his hands against the glass, Lightning asked if they could hear, but Chan shook his head. Demanding to know why not, he was shocked to discover that the decision had to be a mystery to Lightning; it was something Thunder needed to decide on without interference.

"Tavis, your brother loves you. Trust him. He will choose wisely," Chan urged.

"I always have," Lightning murmured, turning his attention back to the glass.

He felt anxiety bubble and explode in his lifeless body as Thunder knelt by Ch'ah's broken one. He muttered something to the defeated, mentally ill sovereign and stood, facing away to the ghostly figure of their H'san Natall father with a strange grin and shrug. Walter ruffled his head, nervously looking away, and Lightning immediately knew.

"Chan, he forgave him!" Lightning ecstatically cheered. "Oh, I will live again! I-!" He paused, cutting himself off and gazed at Chan. "Thank you. Thank you for everything. My brother and I, we never...we never spoke of how grateful we were to have you."

Chan laughed, patting Lightning's shoulder. "Ah, Tavis, you're still the same boisterous idiot I helped raise. You were the brat, and your brother was the punk. Don't even change. Oh, and be nice to your girlfriend, Kole or whatever."

"Oh! You are so sly!" Lightning snapped, and a blush would have covered his face if he were alive. "Stay out of my love life!"

"Why? You and Gan make for excellent dinner theater! I watch you both everyday. Consider me your guardian angel."

"Ha! We always have."

"…I still can't believe you have a girlfriend. Gan, I can understand, but you? You're a man-child."

Lightning screamed in outrage, trying to strangle him, but Chan laughed and raised his cane. Smiling at Lightning, Chan slammed his wooden walking stick into the glass. It ruptured, breaking underneath the yellow elemental who cried out as the darkness enveloped him. He reached out towards Chan as he fell through, and Chan's warm smile cut through the black one final time, and he vanished.

…

Thunder knelt by Lightning's body, lips pursed in anxious, slipping patience. Walter stood by him, but crouched to his knees and smirked. Catching his whimsical grin, Thunder shyly asked if anything troubled him.

"I'm just remembering at time where you thought Cara loved Tavis more than you," the former general murmured dreamily. He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You'd get so jealous, bopping him over the head for no reason."

"I-I would? How shameful of me," Thunder sadly mused. "Uh, Father?"

The term startled Walter, almost wondering if Thunder meant Chan. "Uh, yes? What's wrong…son?"

"Mother always loved you. She still does. She never cried when you left because you were alive." His gaze darkened, frowning perversely. "She cried harshly when we told her of your death. Apologize to her."

Walter gaped, mouth a small 'o'. Stating he was, he cut himself off when Thunder argued that he was standing right next to him. If he could speak with him, he could talk to Cara. Blinking, Water sighed and nodded. "You know, she's going to have a heart attack."

"It is better to forgive then to kill the man who ruined your life. That is what Mother will do to you. Did you not just teach me that?" Thunder cheekily questioned.

"…You're grounded, and you need a haircut, emo-boy."

A low moan emitted from the back of Lightning's throat, alerting them both into attentiveness. Lightning's bleeding stopped, and the torn muscles, skin, tissues, and bones seemed to heal itself, coming together like a needle sowing it all up. Even his armor was renewed. Lightning coughed, arms shooting up to his mouth as flecks of dried blood ripped off his lips. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open to see hazy figures of green, white and blue.

"Brother?" Lightning hoarsely called.

"Tavis! Lightning!" Thunder wailed, wrapping his arms around his twin's lithe frame.

"Gan? Thunder!" Lightning cried, hugging him tightly and felt Thunder shiver.

"I-I am sorry. I-I hurt you, and m-my foolishness brought about your death. We can only thanks Hsuan that you are revived," Thunder stammered, wiping his eyes of oncoming tears.

Lightning hummed then reeled his hand back and punched across the face. "There! I did not slap you this time! Oh, I forgive you."

Holding his groan, he groaned and forced a smirk. "I deserved that."

Walter watched as Thunder helped his staggering brother to his feet. A sense of loneliness came to his chest, but he crossed his arms and tightened into himself as Lighting finally acknowledged him. Immediately deciphering the hidden rage as Lightning hissed his name, Walter meekly smiled and greeted his son.

"I'm, uh, glad to see you are back, Tavis," Walter stuttered.

"Uh, yes, I am well," Lightning replied, raising an eyebrow.

Silence.

"Uh…well, I better go-"

"You need to apologize to Mother, remember?" Thunder snarled.

"Oh…right, but your means of transportation has been destroyed, so, to get you home, you can use my shop." Walter paused, recollecting how they crashed part of the T-Ship into a planet. "Actually, never mind. Try teleporting home."

"And what of him?" Thunder questioned suspiciously, glaring at Ch'ah.

"Don't worry. He's the last of your worries and troubles. Don't you two have mates to get back to? Ah, I met Cara at your age and-" He noticed the reddened, horrified faces of his sons. "What?"

"We do not want to hear about your frolicking or how we were born or any of you dates!" Lightning shouted as Thunder nodded.

"And we do not need the speech on where babies came from," Thunder added.

"…But we-"

"No!" they screamed furiously.

"…Seriously, your mother's-"

"Stop talking!" Thunder wailed, covering his ears.

Walter burst into laughter at their fuming, sickened expressions as the horrifying thought of their parents' love life was forced into their minds. Shaking his head, their blood father smirked and grasped their shoulders, offering to take them home himself.

"Wait, how?" Lightning asked.

Instead of replying, Walter sneered at a disturbed Lightning. An emerald aura surrounded them, brightening until their eyes could no longer take it. Lightning instinctively clung to Thunder as it felt like their bodies were evaporating. They were completely weightless like feathers. Then, a spiral of jade crashed down onto them, and they were gone.

…

Look! The angst is over! Walter and Chan make a comeback! Oh, Walter, you and your love life!

Walter: Don't you two wanna know how you were conceived? It's really awesome!

Thunder and Lightning: NO! D


	19. Home pt 1

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

Argent stared at The Herald, teeth gritted and snarled, "What?"

"I'm sorry, Argent, but my horn's destroyed," he morbidly informed, staring down at the shattered remains of his Gabriel's Horn. "When the alien kid and Kid Flash crashed into me, the impact demolished my horn due to the combined weight and sudden speed of it all."

"Well, fix it!" Jinx cried as Red Star attended to Kid Flash, helping him sit up. "We can't just leave Thunder and Lightning with Ch'ah! He'll kill them!"

Wonder Girl stepped in front of Jinx, placing her hand onto her elbow to restrain her. "Jinx, listen to me. I promise we won't let the brothers die."

Her reassuring tone had little affect as Argent stormed over to Wonder Girl in fury. Pushing Jinx out of her way, she shrieked, "Just tell Herald to fix his horn! Blue boy and lightning rod need to come home! Now! Not later, but right now! Thunder has to be okay! He promised…he promised we'd be together…" Argent choked off, turning away and hugged herself. Taking a shaky breath, she whispered, "I hate this. This is far worse than when I went to that planet two years ago."

"Come on, Argent. It'll be okay," Risk murmured comfortingly, but Argent glared at him and snapped at him to be quiet.

"Risk, not helping," Hot Spot stated, earning Risk's smug glower.

"I am sorry to interrupt," Red Star interjected, hoisting Kid Flash into his arms and straightened his leg, "but our friend here is writhing in agony. I will take him to the medical wing and find him a wheelchair and cast or crutches."

"Oh, yeah, I fergot 'bout him," Gnarrk muttered, scratching his head. Finding Kole staring at the ground, he stated her name questioningly, cocking his head.

"Huh? Oh, hey," Kole forlornly greeted, smiling sadly.

"Don't ya go an' worry. Lightning's a big boy. He'll come back."

"Thanks, Gnarrk. I know he will." Kole hugged him tightly, grinning up to her best friend as Omen and Wildfire walked over. "Hey, guys! What's up?"

"I'm happy to see you're okay, Kole," Omen genuinely stated, patting her shoulder as Wildfire suspiciously gazed at Gnarrk. "I'm sorry about Lightning."

"But we will see him soon!" Wildfire quickly added, smirking.

"But…oh, my, you don't know?"

Omen's grave, shocked tone instantly struck worry through Kole's heart like one of Speedy's arrows. The rose-haired heroine slowly faced Omen, asking what she meant with a quirky, disbelieving grin. When Omen backed down, Kole's teeth gnashed down suddenly, demanding to know what happened. Omen's hesitation immediately brought forth floodgates of imminent terror as she entreated Omen frantically to explain herself. With a quiet sigh, Omen bowed her head and simply apologized.

"Lightning…I'm sorry, Kole. When you came here, I had a vision about him. There was a sword in his back, and he died in his brother's arms," Omen explained, eyes closed.

Kole's knees lost their strength, and she collapsed to the ground in electrified shock. Her cobalt eyes lost their sparkling luster. Wildfire and Gnarrk instantly tended to her as she simply stared at the white floor. When Jericho came over to her, she almost mistook him for Lightning when she went out to reach him. Tears formed in her eyes, threatening to explode. Wiping them, she recollected Lightning's vow to Gnarrk to protect her forever, and he did until his last breath. Without warning, she clutched to the closest person and sobbed onto his chest.

Wildfire trembled, watching Kole cry on his shoulder. Torment drove him to tears as well, clinging to Kole and wept. Nothing was fair. After all Lightning had been through, was tragic, disgusting treachery his fateful end? Internally, his emotions ran wild, and he prayed to X'Hal to spare Lightning from the Grim Reaper's poisonous scythe. As a Tamaranian, he lived off his feelings, but his turbulent sadness was killing him.

A somber air entered the room like an incurable mist as Red Star returned after placing Kid Flash into their infirmary. Having no idea what was going on, he leaned down to Wonder Girl and asked, "Uh, what did I miss?"

Wonder Girl sighed, rolling her eyes. "Lightning's dead. Omen saw it."

"But that does not make it true," the Russian teen argued quietly.

Kole's head shot over to Red Star, questioning, "What do you mean?"

"Last when, when Thunder perished, Kole. You were there, seeing it for your own eyes. Perhaps Lightning can do the same." A gentle smile clung to the somewhat timid Titan. "If Thunder could do it, Lightning can."

Jinx nodded, stepping out of the room. "On that note, I'm checking on Wally. Don't worry about Lightning, Kole. He's too much of a hothead to die."

Kole stared at Jinx' receding backside before looking over to Red Star. Taking a heavy breath, Kole stood up with Gnarrk's help while Wildfire leaned onto Jericho for support. Something stirred in her heart, a feeling of warmth and comfort that slowly bloomed in her heart like a flower reaching out to the sunshine. Red Star was right on Lightning's supposed "passing", and while Omen may have been correct, she was wrong.

"Red Star, thank you," Kole whispered as he nodded appreciatively. Offering her hand to Wildfire, she smiled. "Come on, Wildfire. Just believe in him, and he'll be okay."

"Ah, yes!" Wildfire leaped to his feet and glommed onto Kole. "You are right! Absolutely right! Our Lightning must be alive!"

"But-but I didn't see him come back. I-" Omen stopped when Jericho placed his hand over her mouth. Her eyes wildly snarled at him, but the mute guitarist shook his head and smiled. Hesitantly, she nodded, and Jericho removed his hand.

Argent, who had been quiet most of the time, found her gaze back where the portal was. The other H'san Natall hybrids felt immense suffering for their friend, knowing it was partially their fault for allowing themselves to be captured by Ch'ah. Sighing, Fringe asked Wonder Girl where their medical bay was, and the Amazon warrior guided him out of the room, golden lasso in hand to ensure he would behave. Glancing over his shoulder, Fringe apologized and stepped out, still holding Prysm's unconscious frame with Wonder Girl following.

"We're sorry, too, Toni," Hot Spot admitted, touching the New Zealander's arm to gain her attention.

"You boys are so stupid!" Argent raged, ready to spit fire as Risk yelped and leaped behind Hot Spot. "How in the bloody _hell_ did you get captured?"

"Prysm beat us up!" Risk wailed, and Hot Spot snapped at him to shut up.

"Ugh, you two are pathetic. Me and blue boy are the only competent hybrids," she grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, you were our leader," Hot Spot recalled, smiling. "Argent, back then when we were knocked out, why didn't you run away?"

Argent rolled her eyes. "Because I consider you idiots my brothers. We've been through a lot, so…" She shrugged, jet-black lips curving into a smile as she wrapped her arms around their shoulders. "…you guys don't go pulling that stunt again. You need help? Call me. I'll be there."

Risk smiled, nodding. "You got it, boss lady, and if Thunder ever hurts you…" He cracked his knuckles threateningly as Hot Spot charged up his hand. "…he'll pay."

She laughed, filled with musical amusement. "Oh, stop it! Blue boy would never do that."

Jericho tugged at Herald cloak, signing, _Where is Jupiter and my mother? Haven't they come back?_

Herald shrugged, turning to Omen and directed the question to her. She replied that they were still in Iron City, New Zealand, home to Titans South. The other members of Titans North looked to each other in confusion, eyes wandering in wonder to see if the others knew what she was getting at. Red Star crossed his arms, asking why Jupiter was still there. Feeling pressured at the sudden attention, Omen quickly defended her father by saying he and Adeline were only protecting Cara and Alfonsa.

"Jupiter's with my mom?" Argent cried in exasperation. "Oh, this is horrible. She's gonna flirt with him."

_And my mother will probably fight with Ms. Chi,_ Jericho lamented, shaking his head.

"Anyway…" Wonder Girl interjected, stepping back into the room. "Kid Flash and Prysm are stable. Red Star, try to contact Jupiter. We need to tell him what happened."

Red Star nodded, bringing out his communicator, but paused, finding it beginning to beep. Flipping it open, a small grin split across his face. "Well, my, oh, my, it seems I was right."

…

The brothers appeared on their cloud in a blast of emerald light. Thunder and Lightning landed onto their knees, frantically looking around. The sky was wide and light blue, stretching on forever with the golden sun beating down onto them. Lightning crawled over to the edge, peering down in wonder before a massive grin stretched across his face. Gesturing for his brother to follow, Lightning pointed down with a childishly, happy laugh.

"Our home," Thunder murmured, gazing down at the top of Titans South's tower and their newly installed pool. The distinct memory of Kid Flash cheering over the pool crossed his mind, and a broad smile ripped through his face.

They were home after long last. They were finally home.

"Well, I did my part-" Walter paused, appearing behind his sons with hesitation. "-and I need to see Cara."

"We are here," Lightning whispered, having not heard his father's distressful mutter. "Brother, we are here."

"And we are together. We are reunited, my brother," Thunder replied, taking Lightning's hand.

Lightning nodded. "I am pleased that you are no longer an insane general."

"As am I." Thunder sighed, pulling his younger brother towards him in a comforting hug. "If I remained in that state of mind, I do not know if I would be able to come back from being a madman without your love."

Lightning blushed, glancing away sheepishly. "Oh, I suppose you are right…"

"Where is your mother? Down there?" Walter demanded urgently. His impatience was rampant, tangible in his voice as he spoke.

"We believe so," Thunder replied. "Come, Father, let us show you our mother."

"Uh, I just never remembered that-"

Lightning shot to his feet, getting in Walter's face. "You will apologize to Mother for your heinous actions or face the wrath of Lightning!"

Walter sighed, nodding in consent. Thunder and Lightning watched his eyes glaze over, knowing he was thinking of a time lost in swirling memories with Cara. The three teleported down to the tower, and Thunder tapped a security code into a small keypad against the wall. It opened, and the brother stepped inside, knowing their friends were at Titans North's headquarters.

The interior was startling to them, completely black. No lights were turned on, and all three used their powers to guide their way into the living room. For some reason, all of the electronics and security systems were shut down. Lightning called out to anyone, but there was no answer.

"Do you think something happened?" Walter questioned.

"No, they should be-" Thunder stopped, raising his hand to halt everyone. _Brother, Father, do you sense the presence?_

_It's familiar,_ Walter thought back, having the ability to communicate with his sons through thoughts as well. _Wait, I knew this…_

"Ah, the brothers of the storms," Adeline Kane sneered, leaning against the wall. She flicked a switch, activating the power and caused the whole house to light up. "Nice to see you both."

"Adeline!" Lightning hissed in shock. "Why have you come?" 

"I'm looking over your mother and Argent's mom." She glanced over to Walter's ghost, growling, "And what a pleasant surprise this is to see you, Walter Williams."

"Hello, Ms. Kane. You're as dashing as usual. How are you?" Walter greeted, smirking.

"Don't you patronize me," Adeline quickly snapped. "Follow me to get your mom. She's been going on about stupid topics like how you're dead. Through, she was very worried."

"Why are you helping us?" Thunder questioned.

"It's my job as Mr. Jupiter's assistant. He rescued me from rotting in jail, and I began working as his little lackey to make end's meet. He then made Titans North with my son on the team so I can be with my little Joey."

"You mean…Loren Jupiter? The same man that created the team of H'san Natall hybrids that fought their creators two years ago?" Thunder wondered.

"Yeah, Loren Jupiter."

"Argent mentioned that he…" Thunder paused, looking down in sudden anger. When Lightning asked what troubled him, Thunder offered a kind smile and shook his head.

"Maybe I should go," Walter proclaimed. "Cara probably doesn't want to see me. Not after what I did to her."

Adeline snorted as they walked, floated in Walter's case, to a set of double doors that lead to their infirmary. "Oh, shut up! You call yourself a man? You left her, Walter! Strike up the nerve to face her. I can't love Slade for hurting Joey and Grant, but Cara's different. She still loves you somehow. I can't understand it, but she does."

Thunder and Lightning listened to Adeline's outraged snarl in surprise. While she was still somewhat bitter and vindictive, Adeline seemed to be…nicer, more pleasant to be around. Her maternal instincts blocked her ferocious rage, quelling it into submission like rain dousing a fire. Thunder grinned when Walter sullenly agreed, and she rapped on the door.

Loren Jupiter answered, but before he could speak, Alfonsa Lerado pushed by him and hugged Lightning tightly, squealing that her baby returned. Lightning gagged, trying to break free of the thirty-something woman's poignant grip. When Alfonsa realized it was the annoyed electrical youth, she gasped and lurched back, covering her cheeks.

"Oh, gosh! I am so sorry! I thought you were my Toni-Woni! Where is she? Where's Antonia?" Alfonsa babbled hurriedly, peering over them before staring at Walter. "Who in the mighty heavens is that? Cara, come here! The boys are back! Your sons are here!"

Cara Chi quickly shot over to the door, staring at her children in shock. Thunder and Lightning smiled instantly, greeting her cheerily. Their mother smiled warmly, bringing them close in an embrace wordlessly. Both brothers hugged back, and Lightning chuckled blissfully as Cara suddenly pulled away. Before either realized it, her fist connected over their heads. Yelping, they collapsed to their knees, holding their skulls in agony.

"You idiots! How dare you make me worry so terribly? Not a single call or word! I thought I lost you both again. Don't ever make me worry or I will-" Cara stopped, overlooking them and stared in shock to the figure behind them. "…Walter?"

"Cara," Walter murmured, "I'm dead."

"…Because breaking to her that way is completely smart," Adeline quipped.

"Yes, I-I know," Cara replied, glancing down to the floor.

"Oh, Cara, I'm sorry. For everything I've done, I'm sorry." Walter brushed her hair, leaning forward. "I should never have left you for Ch'ah. I thought my military duty was more important than my family, and I feel like such an idiot for leaving you. I love you."

Cara stared at him, ebony eyes gleaming with unshed tears and leaned up. Her lips brushed against his ghostly ones, and she suddenly pulled back and slapped him across the face. Walter's head lashed out to the side, but he felt no pain since he was deceased. Cara reeled her fist back and punched him in the temple, cursing him viciously. Walter cowered on his knees, begging Cara to stop beating him.

The others just stared. Thunder and Lightning stared laughing.

"You two stop laughing or I take away your allowances!" Cara ordered, seething.

"Yes, Mother," they replied in unison fearfully.

"Walter, you listen to me, and you listen to me good," Cara hissed, gripping his uniform and dragged him close to her face. "I suffered for years because of your absence. I lost my children for nearly a decade. You can't understand that pain because you didn't care. I love you, Walter, and you just left me as if I meant nothing to you. You had your motives, and they were the wrong motives. Our family should have been the most important thing to you, but I guess you realize it after years of me waiting for you to come back to me!"

"Cara, dear…" Walter smiled stupidly. "God, you look awesome when you're hot and bothered."

Cara paused, blushing and smiled. "Oh, Walter, you flirt."

"Oh, Hsuan, kill us now," Lightning grunted. He paused, exchanging a worried look with Thunder. "Uh, no, Hsuan, I revoke my statement. I like life, and so does my brother."

"Aw, so this is the cutie-poo Walter!" Alfonsa gushed as Walter and Cara embraced each other tightly. "I'm Cara's best girlfriend! Alfonsa Lerado! Wow, Cara, you sure know how to pick 'em."

"Ms. Lerado, please don't encourage this," Jupiter stated, coming in front of her with Adeline. "So, you two are Thunder and Lightning. I am Loren-"

POW!

Thunder punched Jupiter in the face, grunting upon impact. Jupiter spiraled into the wall, streamlining past everyone as Thunder stood his ground. Crashing, Jupiter moaned and sat up, holding his head. Adeline rushed over to him, kneeling down to him and asked if he was all right. Reluctantly, Jupiter nodded as Cara turned to her oldest son in horror and demanded to know why he punched him.

"I love you, Gan," Walter absentmindedly stated, smiling.

"Walter, do not encourage this!" Cara cried.

"But I hate that guy," Walter grumbled.

"Yes, I'd like to know why I so rudely hit," Jupiter growled, getting to his feet with Adeline's help.

"You hurt my dear! It is because of you that Argent was so grief-stricken after the battle two years ago!" Thunder shouted, hovering over him. "Argent was hurt so much…"

"It hurt everyone," Jupiter stated blankly.

"How dare you say everyone! It hurt her far more than anyone else!"

"Yeah, it did. I was there," Walter interjected, but Lightning and Cara took turns hitting him in the arm. Adeline soon joined in.

"Look, I'll talk to her. Will that make you feel better?" Jupiter offered in exasperation.

"…No," Thunder admitted stubbornly.

"Speaking of Argent, should we tell them we are alive?" Lightning suggested.

Thunder gasped, nodding and immediately retrieved his communicator. He flipped to the Titans North section and pressed for anyone. When Red Star's face came on, his expression gleamed like the sun. Lightning quickly joined in, waving to the Russian hero eagerly.

"Hello, Red Star," Thunder greeted. "Are the others fine? Is Argent-?"

"They are all fine," Red Star reassured, noting his imminent worry.

"And Kole?" Lightning asked, poking his head in.

"Yes, she is fine. Both girls were very concerned," Red Star stated.

Thunder and Lightning sighed in relief, smiling to each other until the communicator was snatched out of Red Star's hand. His cry was heard until Argent's voice shrieked at him to shut up. It was then stolen by Kole, and they started a tug-of-war over it. Thunder and Lightning felt a bead of sweat dripping down the back of their heads. Suddenly, Lightning's communicator began beeping, and he flipped it open.

"Jinx, such a pleasantry to see you," Lightning chuckled as she nodded back.

"Hey, Lightning, Thunder," she replied as Kid Flash's arm waved to them in the background. "I can hear Argent and Kole fighting over Red Star's communicator to talk to you."

"How is Kid Flash?" Thunder quickly asked.

"He's doing better. They got him strapped him in a wheelchair for a while with his ankle in a cast," she informed.

"But don't worry about me." Kid Flash took the communicator from Jinx, smirking. "I'll be better before you know it. After all, I'm Kid Flash, but forget about me. How are you two doing? What'd Ch'ah do?"

Thunder and Lightning paused, glancing over to each other in a fit of amused nervousness. Sniggering, Lightning replied, "My brother and I have been through…a very interesting time when you all left."

"Well, dude, spill it! We wanna know," Kid Flash jeered with Jinx leaning in.

"We will tell you when we are reunited. My brother and I will come to the Titans North and you, my friends," Thunder stated much to their annoyance.

"Fine, but you better hurry because Argent's looking ready to kill something. Kole…whoa, look at her go," Jinx mused.

Kid Flash whistled. "Man, Thunder, your girlfriend is getting her butt handed to her!"

"Girlfriend?" Cara repeated in angry horror. "What does he mean, Gan?"

Thunder winced, glaring down at Kid Flash who quickly signed off and faced his mother. "Uh, well, Argent and I…we are…well, I love her." He scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. "She is my dear…"

"Which is sickening," Lightning grunted, but Thunder elbowed him.

Alfonsa squealed, shaking her fists excitedly. "Oh, gosh! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! Cara, I was right! Your boy and my girl, together! How sweet can this be?"

"Oh, you and…Antonia? My," Cara mused as Walter stared at Thunder incredulously. "Well, you have my consent-"

"Not mine," Walter interjected. "I hate that girl. She's loud, crude, and creepy-looking."

"That is what I said, but my brother did not listen," Lightning added.

"Well, you are dead, Father, and I do not care what you think on this matter, brother. I love her, and that is final," Thunder obstinately snapped, crossing his arms. A sly grin came to Thunder's face, leering down to Lightning. "Oh, that means…Mother, did you know that Lightning and Kole are together as well?"

"Kole?" Cara repeated in disbelief. "You mean the little pink-haired girl that mistook me for some thief when I first met her? The one that tried to attack me because of it?"

"Yes," Thunder replied as Lightning attempted to strangle him, but Thunder pushed him away.

Cara's hand went to her face, groaning tiredly. Adeline snickered until Cara elbowed her roughly in the mouth. Shaking her head, she wearily conceded, but her hand was on the hidden hilt of her sword. It was not that she did not like Kole, she just thought Kole was a bit of an idiot. She read her intelligence test scores that Robin issued out to every Titan once a year, and they were not very prominent, coming in range with Lightning's, which were D's. Plus, she had a lot of male attention. That always meant drama, and Lightning was bad at handling drama.

"Fine, fine, Lightning can date Kole," Cara muttered, shaking her head. "Just…I don't know, blow anyone up that flirts with her."

"I love you, Mother!" Lightning cried happily, throwing his hands up.

"We should get going to Titans North," Jupiter proclaimed, walking out ahead. "Come, we need to go quickly. As for you, Walter, you should go back to hell."

"Actually, I am in Heaven," Walter sneered.

"How?"

"I repented." Walter smugly crossed his arms, smirking. "Though…I should get going."

"Walter…" Cara whispered, taking his hand.

"I'll see you in the next life, my dear, my Cara," Walter murmured, kissing her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she hummed, kissing him back.

"Gan, Tavis, don't make my mistakes. Stay with your families or your wife will beat the H'san Natall out of you."

Thunder and Lightning smirked, nodding. Walter smiled softly, waving gently. Like a mist, Walter slowly vanished, waves of air seemingly coming in and blowing him away. He smirked, closing his eyes and disappeared from their sight. Cara reached out, finding the air instead of her husband. She lowered her hand, dropping her head to her chin and wiped her eyes. Thunder approached his mother, touching her shoulder and asked if she was going to be fine.

"I'll be okay," Cara admitted, hugging him. "Anyway, we should probably get going. I'm certain your girlfriends will be worried."

Lightning laughed, crossing his arms. "They are worried! They were fighting over the communicator to speak with us!"

"How touching," Alfonsa gushed.

"How creepy," Adeline grumbled.

"We shall take the plane," Jupiter stated.

"We do not have a plane," Thunder corrected.

Jupiter smirked. "I'm always prepared, Thunder."

…

Whoo! It's almost done! Please, review!


	20. Home pt 2

Teen Titans © DC Comics

Elementals

Thunder continuously glanced over to Loren Jupiter, scowling as the rich, suspicious gentleman entered their roof. Lightning found a petite aircraft off in the corner. The plane was a sleek jet, made for ten people, similar to the T-Ship, but without the bulkiness. Jupiter opened the see-through, steel dome, ordering the others to get in behind him. As Cara, Adeline, and Alfonsa went in, Thunder grumbled and hoisted himself to follow. Helping his brother up, he shot another glower to Jupiter. Catching his snarl, Jupiter easily returned it with a sneer and turned into the cockpit with Adeline at his side.

Lightning sat next to his mother while Thunder slinked into an opposing window seat. Noticing his son's budding rage, Cara was about to question why the sudden, tangible animosity for Jupiter. However, Alfonsa bounced right next to him and asked why he fell for her daughter with a gleam of gossip-starved curiosity in her dark orbs. When Thunder reddened like a rose bush, Cara found the question lost as she leaned in to listen.

"Oh, uh, I, we…we, well, we met before our meeting at Titan's Tower after the Brotherhood of Evil's defeat. Originally, we met on the fated day before our fifteenth birthdays. It was a wondrous night, and I thought she was beautiful and simply a kind girl. I fell for her, but at the time, I did not know what I felt. Time conspired against us to part. It would be two years before we would meet again, somewhat changed, and I did not recognize her, or her for Thunder. I know Toni and Argent, but, deep down, she was and is my dear no matter what name or appearance changes," Thunder blithely recalled, clasping his hands together in fluttering remembrance.

Lightning groaned, leaning against the leather chair in disgust. "I will never approve."

"Well, brother, what of you and Kole? Tell Mother and Ms.-"

"Oh, call me Auntie Alfonsa," Argent's mother interjected, hugging Thunder's arm.

Flustered, Thunder nodded, and Cara chuckled. Returning his snide glance, to Lightning, Thunder sneered, "Truly, my brother, tell us. Even I do not know what has happened to make you and Kole confess."

"Tch! The crystal witch and I are in a peculiar state. We admitted our vows of love, but I still do not know if it is as a mate or a sister," Lightning sullenly admitted, bowing his head in shame. "I do not dwell on such things, but this oddity has warped my mind and heart."

"Lightning, you're a tool," Alfonsa barked heatedly, much to the yellow elemental's surprise. "You go to that girl, and you make out with her! You make out with her long and hard! Then you'll know if you are in love! That's how Argent's dad got me to love him! Except we got divorced, but that part doesn't really matter."

Thunder and Cara gaped, mouths slacking at her lustful proclamation. Lightning merely gazed at her before moving onto his family members, rather confused. He had no idea what it meant to "make out." Was it some sort of traditional dance? Lightning glanced back to his mother, asking what it meant. Cara just shook her head, hands covering her face as Thunder stifled amused laughter.

"Oh, what is this?" Cara mused, touching Thunder's white, H'san Natall armor. "I noticed it, but I did not say anything due to Walter's return."

Thunder winced visibly, veering away in anxious unworthiness. The recollection of his supposed betrayal tormented him, and he almost slayed his brother because of it. His fist clenched, looking down in morbid trepidation. His hair cast a gloomy shadow across his face, only adding to his bleak disposition. Thunder did not desire ever to remember his time as a Ch'ah's sadistic general; the period of madness that caused him to perform such heinous deeds of villainy would always torture him. He truly had become Ch'ah during that time.

"He became Ch'ah's soldier, his chief general, almost killing me," Lightning informed emotionlessly, and Thunder jerked up in shock. Lightning crossed his arms, sighing, and he gazed out at the clouds below. "His insanity truly impacted me."

"B-brother, I…"

"I know you love her more than me. Ch'ah was right. That is why our bond could not break you from his control." Lightning glared at Thunder who appeared struck at his brother's harshness. "You nearly killed me!"

"Lightning, please, it was you freed me. I heard you, Tavis. I heard your noble words, your plea," Thunder entreated softly, getting to his knees. Grasping Lightning's hands, he felt like sobbing when his brother scornfully glowered out the window. "Please, brother, you must believe me. Argent-"

"Answer this: do you love her more than me?" the alabaster elemental demanded vehemently.

Thunder froze, remaining deathly quiet as the heaviness of the situation dawned on him. Biting his lip, Thunder glanced away, and Lightning's sharp, heart-wrenching gasp roared in his ears. Shooting to his feet, Lightning stormed past Thunder, arms swinging rapidly at his side. He called Lightning's name, running after him through the small walkway. However, Lightning ripped open the bathroom door, slamming it in Thunder's face and locked it. Pressing his back against the door, Lightning encased himself in shadows and shakily sniffled.

Thunder loved Argent more. He did not need to admit anything anymore. Every card was played, and he saw Thunder's hand. There was Argent, replacing him. How could he? How could she? Lightning punched the wall, cursing savagely before cradling his bruised knuckles. She took him away from him like a seductress, luring him with false promises of salvation in her arms. Of course, he understood that his brother and Argent were intimate at one time, but that was the past! She was now nothing more than a witch, a harlot, and a temptress, one who he despised more than anyone. She stole Thunder from him!

"Lightning, Tavis, my brother, please," Thunder begged, jostling the knob.

"No! Why do you not speak with her over this?" Lightning snapped.

"Gan…" Cara prompted her son to turn around. "…you need to give him time."

"But he is hurt over this," Thunder murmured forlornly.

"Well, why's he so mad over it?" Alfonsa hissed, still in her seat to watch. "My daughter's in love with him! Lightning should be happy for Thunder!"

"Did you say…'happy?' Happy!" Lightning shrieked, throwing the door open. Glaring at Thunder, he threw his finger in front of him. He stormed up to Thunder, forcing him against the wall, shouting as he went. "Why should I be happy? She is a brother-stealing, demonic being of vile disgustingness! She is taking you away from me! She made you love her more than I, your brother. The one who has been by your side ever since you were born. I have never hated someone so much before. It hurts, but I do not care! I hate her!"

Thunder's mouth fell as Lightning feebly stalked away, holding himself in despair. Brushing his hair back, Thunder tucked it behind his ears. Sitting next to Lightning who slumped back into his seat, Thunder placed his hand on his brother's tightening, tensing, rigid shoulder. Bringing him close, he gently kissed the crown of Lightning's forehead in a brotherly fashion to soothe him and shushed him when Lightning whimpered. The blue elemental wrapped his strong arms around him as Lightning gazed up at him longingly.

"Brother, I told you before. Nothing can change who you are to me. I love you so deeply that my heart could burst from how much I love you. Lightning, you are the person who I cannot live without. Did you not see my distress when you…" He hated the next word with a burning passion. "…died? I lost myself. I became a monster like Ch'ah. Lightning. Argent is my dear, but you are my brother. I feel different kinds of love for you both, but I cannot choose between you, and I will not."

"It would…be like choosing between you and Kole." Lightning sighed, empathizing with Thunder. "Oh, brother I am sorry for my words. I feel like a fool."

"We are all fools, especially when it refers back to love," Thunder chuckled, winking.

"Still, I will never approve," Lightning adamantly stated, cuddling into Thunder.

The elemental groaned, rolling his eyes. "I give up! Forgot I ever said anything as this will always go nowhere!"

"I love you, too!" Lightning gushed, embracing Thunder's neck.

Cara sighed, shaking her head. "At least you two aren't fighting anymore."

"So, what happened on your trip?" Alfonsa shot over, still gossip-starved.

Thunder and Lightning paused, looking to each other. Chuckling nervously, they began with, "Well…"

…

Cara punched Thunder across the face once ending their tale. Thunder toppled out of his seat, wailing and held his throbbing cheek in pain. Lightning quickly pulled Alfonsa to her feet, bringing her to safety. Snatching his bangs, she heaved him to his feet and crossed her arms furiously. Thunder darted backwards, but Cara slid down and tripped him, swiping her leg underneath his feet.

"You fought your brother and got him killed? Gan! What have I taught you? You should never fight your brother! Never! Even under a mad king's control, you should at least recognize him!" Cara broke off, pinching her nose as Thunder groaned morbidly. Kneeling down by him, she kissed his forehead and smiled. "Just don't do it again, Gan, even though you were controlled. You need each other."

"Of course, Mother," Thunder replied, grinning.

Cara stood, hugging her other son tightly and kissed Lightning's cheek who groaned in response. "And you, my brave boy! I'm so proud of you, standing up to save your idiot brother, your friends, and future in-law. You have really blossomed, my little Tavis."

Lightning smirked, crossing his arms arrogantly as his ego exploded. "Yes, this time, I was the true hero!"

"You were, brother," Thunder admitted, ruffling his hair until Lightning nudged him away. "You saved us all. You brought me back, so I thank you for eternity."

"Feh! You should not have lost yourself to insanity since your precious Argent lost," Lightning countered haughtily.

Thunder frowned, lowering his head. "They harmed her. I could not permit them to-"

"-take her? They did, Thunder," Alfonsa growled.

"Which I am sorry for," he quickly replied, glancing over to the fuming Italian woman.

"Sorry to interrupt your little family lovefest," Adeline hissed over the plane's intercom, "but we're here. Sit down, shut up, and don't move."

Once she finished, the plane jerked down, and the quadrant scrambled into their seats. The plane swerved a sharp left, and Lightning instinctively clung to Thunder. Jupiter's plane or "deathtrap" as Cara called it, slowed drastically, seeming to hover in the air. Clouds heaved upwards, and the plane cut through them like a hot knife through butter. Thunder and Lightning winced, knowing the plane was polluting their precious clouds by slashing them apart and stuffing them with stale, toxic poisons from the exhaust. Cara peered out the window, alerting the others to the Titans North's base.

"Excellent! Now, brother, you can make passionate love to your woman."

"Shut up, Lightning!" Thunder snarled, blushing and punching him in the shoulder.

"Wait, you know what doing it is, but not making out?" Alfonsa questioned.

"He's a very simple boy," Cara explained.

"Mother!" Lightning whined.

"We've landed," Jupiter informed, stepping into view with Adeline.

Thunder leaped to his feet, pushing past Jupiter and out the door. He knew Argent was all right, but he needed to see her to ease his troubled mind. Stepping out of the plane, he looked down at the roof, staring at the crestfallen snow from the sky. He had not realized the gentle flakes were dropping in for a gracious visit from the heavens. Thunder gazed up in stupefied shock until he noticed an orange and purple dot surge past him and into Lightning.

"Friend Lightning!" Wildfire squealed, bringing the yellow elemental into a backbreaking hug.

"Wildfire…pain…" Lightning whined as his back gave an audible _snap_.

Wildfire dropped him, smiling broadly. Without warning, he embraced him again, but this time, he wrapped his arms around Lightning's chest as if to see if he was real. Sniffling, he whimpered, bringing his face into his golden orange armor. "I-I thought I would n-never see you again. Wh-when the portal closed, I thought…"

Lightning gazed down at the Tamaranian in shock, eyes wide in sudden surprise. Wildfire shook, lips trembling, and Lightning realized he was in the beginning stages of holding back tears. Wildfire's shoulders twitched, taking in shaky breaths to compose himself. Sighing, Lightning wrapped his arms around Wildfire's shoulders, smiling and told him not to fret in a soothing tone rarely heard from the hedonistic youth. As Wildfire bobbed his head in agreement, Lightning smiled and pulled away before placing his hand onto his head.

"Come, Wildfire, do not be sad. I am standing before you. That should be enough to quell your tears," Lightning softly urged.

Stepping back, Wildfire wiped his eyes and beamed with a crystal shine in his emerald orbs. "I will no longer be sad. Thank X'Hal you are unharmed."

Lightning remembered his death, bringing it up and cringed when Wildfire's mouth dropped like someone told him his child died in a car accident. The prince pointed back towards a latch, shrieking he was going to tell Kole. Gasping, the storm twin shouted at Wildfire's backside when he flew off to the latch. Tackling his back, Lightning wrestled Wildfire to the ground, but the young alien punched him on his shoulder, gaining the advantage and sat on him, pinning his arms down.

"Remove yourself from Lightning's backside this instant!"

"No," Wildfire cheekily replied.

"I loathe you…"

"Bye, son, have fun with your friend," Cara cheerily stated, walking past him with the others.

"Are you not going to help me?" he shrieked as Jupiter unlocked the latch.

"No," they chorused.

"Blast you all!"

"We'll send Kole up here if that'll shut you up," Adeline snapped before shutting the latch after the others entered.

Thunder had a ghost of a smirk on his face, hearing his brother and Wildfire banter and fight. They were so alike they could have been distantly related. He glanced over his shoulder, hearing Lightning curse in their native language of Vietnamese and Wildfire in the tongue of his home planet. For a moment, he imagined them in a relationship, and he felt sick to his stomach. It was a not a pretty picture as Thunder thought of them at a chapel with Wildfire in a wedding dress.

"Uh, are you all right?" Alfonsa asked in confusion as Thunder's hands covered his lime-tinted face.

"I believe so…" Thunder trailed off, watching Jupiter open the door to the living room.

The members of Titans North, Gnarrk, Kole, and Kid Flash were there, lounging around. The only ones not present were Jinx and Argent as the former was forced to mediate the dispute between Argent and Kole. His eyes widened in terror, gazing upon Kid Flash in a wheelchair. Thunder rarely saw Kid Flash sitting, but to see his friend confined, it was like Kid Flash's freedom was stripped of him. Waving to Thunder, Kid Flash rolled himself along towards his friend and smiled. Extending his hand, he jokingly asked if he brought him a present. Thunder diverted his gaze down to his leg that was covered in a white cast, wrapping up almost to his knee. Instantly, sadness overcame him, and Kid Flash noticed it, smiling hopefully to cheer him up.

"Hey, man, stop looking so sad. You're making me depressed," Kid Flash joked, patting his arm.

"But…but your leg," Thunder murmured, pointing down to the cast.

"Eh, it does stink, but I'll live. Hey, I'm not dead like you were a year ago," Kid Flash recalled, leaning up to Thunder. "Chill, seriously, we've all been through a lot."

Red Star floated over with Wonder Girl, and the Amazon embraced Thunder gently, stating she was happy to see him alive. The Russian Titan smiled, inclining his head in agreement before noticing a querulous look on Omen's face. Her lip was bit in utmost confusion as if somebody tried explaining an unfunny joke. With a hand to her chin, the brunette shyly tilted her head away, but Gnarrk placed his hand on her shoulder, asking what was wrong in his gruff voice.

"Oh, Gnarrk, n-nothing," Omen lied, but Gnarrk saw straight through and snorted. "Okay, it's just that I was wrong in my premonition. I saw Lightning dead, and Thunder crying. How is he here?"

"You are correct, Omen," Thunder admitted, approaching her. "My brother has died, but there has been-"

"What?" Wonder Girl shouted in distress, ponytail lashing him in the face. "Your brother's…dead? You let him die?"

"No, no!" he quickly cried, raising his hands out to stop the infuriated girl as Jericho and The Herald held her back. "My brother was dead, but he has been revived like myself a year prior to this madness."

"Wait, he was dead, but he came back to life?" Herald questioned, and Thunder nodded. "Man, you Titans South guys have all the fun. Yo, Wondy, how come we can't have adventures like that?"

Jericho nodded, signing, _I wish we could go on exciting adventures like that, but a certain old man decided to keep us here._

"Joey, stop making fun of Mr. Jupiter," his mother scolded, waving her finger.

_But...I don't like him. He's crotchety,_ Jericho replied, shrugging.

"Where is Argent?" Thunder asked, looking to Red Star, possibly the only real sane member of the group.

Red Star pointed off into another hallway. "Jinx has taken Argent down there to, eh, separate her from Kole."

"Did they fight or something?" Alfonsa wondered.

"Over who would talk to their boyfriend first," Herald sniggered until Wonder Girl bopped him over the head.

Risk, Hot Spot and Fringe took immediate notice to Jupiter who began approaching them. They tensed, unsure of what to say to him. After all, he was the man who trained them to utilize their powers and work as a united team. Jupiter scanned over all of them, taking in each of their appearance. He hadn't seen them in some time, almost surprised at how mature they looked. Yet, there was still irresolute fear once he arrived over to them, and he recollected on how arrogant and nervous they were when he first met them. Jupiter sighed, shaking his head, and the trio winced.

"Uh, hey, boss man," Risk greeted cheekily, waving slightly. "How ya been?"

As Fringe elbowed Risk in the shoulder, Hot Spot crossed his arms, demanding, "What do you want, Jupiter?"

"I just…wanted to see how you were doing," Jupiter replied with an ill smile. "Is that alien world still horrible?"

"Terrible! Worst place you'll ever see," Risk informed, throwing up his hands.

Fringe nodded. "And Prysm had the worst of it. She'll be okay, but I hope she stays with us this time."

"It's not like she can go home. I mean, she betrayed her people," Hot Spot added.

"But the three of you are all right?" Jupiter questioned.

"Course we are! We're the H'san Natall hybrids! We're not gonna die that easy! When Thunder broke my nose, I just snapped it back into place!" Risk jeered, tapping his nose in confirmation.

"Yeah, but he still beat you up pretty good," Hot Spot snorted, deflating Risk's ego.

"Like you should talk! He threw you!" Risk countered.

Fringe rolled his eyes, amused by their simplistic banter. "Man, how can people even stand talking to you guys? Your parents must have been saints."

"Shut up, werewolf!" Risk shouted.

"Don't call me that!" Fringe roared, raising his claws as Hot Spot felt a bead of sweat roll down the back of his head.

Jupiter felt his intelligence drop a few notches as he watched the trio fall into an argument, walking away towards Thunder who began down a corridor. He watched him hurry as the others made busy with the other mothers, and Cara dragged Kole off somewhere. Jupiter glanced down at Cara, noting how beautiful she was with her soft, silken, ebony hair and sparkling black orbs. He smirked, knowing that a relationship would be impossible so he decided to go try and break Omen away from Gnarrk.

Why? Jupiter does not ship Omen and Gnarrk, and he never will…ever.

Thunder hurried down the hallways, throwing open every door and peered inside. He found his friends' rooms, closing the door quickly, but stopped when he found Red Star's room. There was a Pantha plush doll on his bed, and he blinked, taking out his communicator and took a picture. Smiling at the new blackmail, he pocketed his communicator and stepped out of the room. However, Red Star stood right behind him and raised his own device, revealing a very, very intimate picture of him and Argent.

"Yes, I know what you two did last summer," Red Star sneered.

"B-but how? W-we were not aware of our surroundings! The green one pushed me!" Thunder blurted, waving his arms exasperatedly.

Red Star smirked, glancing back down at the picture. "Believe me, when I took this picture of you two falling over each other with your hand on her…ample chest, I was rather amused. Now, if you do not want this plastered on the internet, you will delete that picture."

Thunder grumbled, flipping out his communicator and obeyed. Exposing his blank screen, he frowned deeply. "We are no longer friends."

"Oh, you do not mean that," Red Star chortled, pushing Thunder into another room. "Have fun with your girlfriend."

"At least I have a girlfriend! You are cuddling with a mere doll!" Thunder snapped.

"Actually, while you were in space, Pantha and I became an official couple. We bought matching plush dolls of each other and adopted Wildebeest." Red Star smirked, laughing at his baffled expression before patting his head. About to close the door, he smiled and snickered, "Please, take your time in here, and, if you will, try to be quiet as you kiss."

Thunder shot a turquoise beam at the door, but Red Star flew out of the way just in time. Fuming as he slammed the door shut, he crossed his arms and grumbled to himself, mumbling about how much of a fool Red Star was. He glanced over his shoulder, flicking on a nearby light and gasped lightly. There was Argent, simply lying in a chair, fast asleep. Her head was hung onto her shoulder, eyes closed like an angel ready to awaken and face the world. Thunder gaped slightly, noting the dark blue blanket wrapped around her. Jinx must have placed it on her, and he would be sure to thank her later. Thunder approached her tentatively, kneeling down in front of her and smiled, always believing in how beautiful she was. Thunder did not want to disturb her, sighing and stood up to leave when a foot booted him on his back. Yelping, he whirled around and found Argent gone. Blinking in surprise, he instantly tried locating her when two hands covered his eyes from behind.

"Guess who," the lovely British accent purred.

"Hm, allow me to guess, my dear?" Thunder questioned, smiling and turned around.

Argent embraced Thunder tightly, wrapping her arms around his neck as his hands held onto her waist. He chuckled, stroking through her somewhat spiky hair, simply happy to be with her. The adventure was over, he realized, as he was finally together with the love of his life. Thunder kissed her forehead, bringing her back simply to gaze at her, seeing if she was real. His head cocked to the side, sighing through his nose as Argent brought up her communicator and revealed a rather embarrassing photograph of Red Star and Pantha at a party.

"Don't worry about Red Star. Wonder Girl snagged me a photo of him and Pantha cuddling together on the couch," Argent informed, winking.

"I love how the first thing we speak of is of our friends' intimate moments," Thunder stated, smiling broadly.

Argent laughed into her palm, shoulders shaking gently. Pocketing her communicator, she beamed up to him, asking, "So, you're all right?"

Thunder glanced away sheepishly and sighed. "I am now because of your presence, dear, but…"

Argent perked up, concerned at his sudden downtrodden personality. "What's wrong?"

Thunder sat down in the chair she previously slept in, staring at his mighty, pale blue hands in what she discerned as disgusted shame. "I am so horrified at myself to reveal this to you, but I cannot lie to you. On that world, I-I almost murdered King Ch'ah. H-he killed my brother, and I was so consumed by rage, that I…I…"

"Wait, is Lightning dead?" She leaned forward, getting on one knee and took his shivering hand.

"Thank Hsuan, he is not. He has been revived, and he is now having a playful banter against Wildfire on the roof," Thunder informed, and Argent exhaled a breath of relief. "Yet, when he died, I-I lost myself. I beat Ch'ah into submission, and I was going to kill him!" Thunder broke off with a sharp breath, averting his gaze from her large, ruby orbs. "But I did not. I managed…I managed to control myself with the help of my father."

"But Walter's dead," Argent deadpanned, raising an eyebrow.

"He appeared to me as an apparition, a sort of ghostly figure. My brother was revived when I forgave Ch'ah for his heinous crimes. If I…if I killed him…" Thunder fists clenched, fingers digging into his palms so much that they nearly bled. "…then I would no better than Ch'ah. I-I would just be a monster. After the battle, I still have conflicting feelings. Am I monster? Have I become just like him? Even with my brother's reassurance that I am still Thunder, I cannot be at ease. If you had seen what I had done, you would surely-!"

"Surely what? Run away?" Argent scoffed, shaking her head negatively. At his depressed expression, Argent smiled and cupped his chin lightly, making him gaze at her in wonder. "Come on, don't think that way. You're not like Ch'ah."

"But how are you certain?"

"Because I know you. If I were in your place, I'd want to destroy him for all of the pain he's caused, but, Thunder, you're not a murderer. You only killed because you had to a year ago when your father decided to try and take over the world. Ch'ah was going to do the same, and he killed your brother. It was a natural feeling."

"When you state it like that, it sounds animalistic, but…yes, it felt natural." Thunder sighed. "I only hope I never have to feel that hideous emotion."

"And you won't."

Thunder returned his gaze back to her, finding her to be closing in with a genuine smile on her face. Deciding to play, he grinned and questioned, "Oh? I will not be?"

"Since I'll be right by your side, helping you through the pain this time. We've lost a lot of time together when we were separated. I want to make that up now that we're home." Argent sat on his knee, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. Kissing his forehead, she smirked. "Don't worry about it anymore, blue boy. It's like what you said when we were fighting Axis. All that stuff about learning from our past to build our future. You should take your own advice, Gan."

Thunder beamed, cheeks a light pink and nodded. "I am just pleased to finally be back here with you. I-"

_Crrreeeeak._

"Lightning!" they shouted furiously.

The yellow elemental stood there, blinking. "Have you two been 'making out' in here?"

Thunder pointed to the door, reddening like a tomato. "Brother! Leave!"

Lightning continued standing, but a large, cruel smile appeared on his face. "Oh, and silver wretch? Just remember that I will be watching your every move, and if you think of hurting my brother, I will ensure your death will be…" Lightning charged up his hand threateningly, an evil smirk stretched across his face. "…most painful." With that, Lightning exited and shut the door.

"Gosh, what a creep," Argent grumbled.

"My brother will not harm you," Thunder vowed. "I will make sure of that."

Argent giggled, leaning into his shoulder and sighed. "I'm still wondering where we can get some clothes. This armor is annoying. How can you stand to wear it all the time?"

"I do not wear anything underneath when I wear my normal armor."

Argent stared at him blankly, mouth a thin, straight line.

Thunder tapped her nose, smirking. "I am kidding."

She punched him in the shoulder, blushing furiously, shouting, "Thunder!"

He laughed, unbridled joy streaking through him as he embraced her tightly. He felt his mouth rip upwards, an eternal grin on his face that would forever be Argent's. Thunder rubbed her back in calming circles, and the feeling that he was home rushed back into him. They were finally together, and they could start their lives over with their love. Nothing and no one would be able to separate them again. Thunder and Argent looked back to each other, smiling, and closed the gap between them.

…

Lightning wandered aimlessly through the halls of Titans North. He was lost…again. The last time he visited, Jericho had to drag him out of the chimney. How he got stuck, no one knew. Lightning refused to tell anyone, but Jericho found out, using it as clever blackmail to get whatever he wanted from the sallow Titan. After battling Wildfire with the conclusion a tie, he had waved his younger friend off who was going to see Starfire for the first time in years. Lightning smiled, knowing he was a noble comrade and warrior, and he believed that he would rule Tamaran wisely when his time came.

He had stumbled in through the latch, going in the opposite way his brother went and ended up down a few hallways. When he found his brother and Argent in that deplorably intimate position, Lightning could not resist taunting and letting her know her place in their family. After all, she was still a silver wretch no matter what pretty name his brother called her. He sneered to himself, humming a Vietnamese hymn his mother used to sing when he was a child. Walking into another hallway, he stopped, arms behind his head and blinked.

"Mother? Kole?" he questioned, finding Cara holding up Kole by her white blouse, pinning her against the wall. "Um, what is-?"

Cara dropped Kole onto her bottom, a sweet, maternal smile immediately coming to her face. Kole rubbed her head, muttering obscenities to herself on how Cara was crazy. The Vietnamese woman snapped her head back down to Kole, and the crystallizing girl cringed, cowering at her mighty presence. The seemingly innocent smile remained, requesting Kole to remember what they "talked" about, and Cara waved to her son before leaving.

"Uh, what were you and my mother speaking of?" Lightning wondered, helping Kole to her feet.

"Well, your mom just threatened to kill me if I ever cheated or anything bad," Kole grumbled.

_Oh, so that is where I received my protective nature_, Lightning thought, recalling how defensive he was over Thunder whenever Argent was in the picture.

"Gnarrk's gonna flip when I tell him about this," Kole suddenly stated as they walked through the halls.

"What?" Lightning inquired.

"You know, about us."

Lightning hummed, nodding. "Kole, may I ask you something?"

"Sure, Lightning."

"Do you…like carnivals?"

Kole smiled broadly, slipping her hand into his, and he tightened the grip slightly. "I love them! They're so much fun!"

"Well, if you find them so amusing, I know of a wondrous fair arriving in Jump City. Would you like to accompany me?"

"Is this what you were talking about in that cell?" She was breathless, gaping happily as Lightning smirked and bashfully scratched his head. "I had no idea you were planning this. I'd love to!"

Lightning grinned back, beaming at her approval. Though, he just needed one last thing to confirm his feelings and began to lean down. He closed his eyes, unsure of what to do when Kole placed her fingers to his lips, effectively stopping him. Lightning's eyes snapped open, widening abruptly that he stumbled backwards and asked why she stopped him. His reply was her shaking her finger negatively, bringing an aggravated vein to his forehead.

"Wait, girls don't kiss until the third date or they're tramps," Kole informed, and Lightning blinked, slowly nodding. "I mean, I know how I feel about you, Lightning, but your mom was just about to beat me up…"

_Goodness, Hsuan! I believe I have found not a mistress, but a girl of pure heart! A true angel! _Lightning thought, embracing her tightly. "Oh, you are such a beautiful woman! I cannot believe how grateful to have a mate like you!"

Kole gasped, mouth parting in shock as Lightning nuzzled her into her bubblegum locks. Giggling, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he held onto her snugly. For a complete fool, Lightning had his own special charm, one unique to him. Being boisterous, egotistical, and kind, a package wrapped up in the form of a handsome, courageous elemental. She couldn't have been any happier, pecking his cheek as Lightning chuckled at the affection.

"Oh, my God, what is this this? I don't even-!" Gnarrk fainted dead away, making gurgling noises and twitched uncontrollably.

"…Is he…is he dead?" Lightning wondered as they approached the cringing caveman.

Kole knelt down by him, poking his head before shrugging. She felt his heartbeat, finding it to be steady and erratic. His blood pressure was acting up again, but she would worry about that later or find Omen to deal with it. Grasping Lightning's hand, she chuckled as they began walking away, stating, "Well, he had to find out sooner or later. I guess it's better that we got it over with now."

Lightning burst into laughter, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "True! So very true!"

…

After things had settled down, and stories were told, Titans South, North, and the adults were sitting in the living room relaxing. Red Star was waving around Thunder's blackmail, but Lightning surprisingly stepped in with his own blackmail of him in a bunny suit for Pantha's birthday. Red Star shut up around the brothers for the rest of the evening. Jupiter had decided to sit next to Argent and attempt to make peace with them, but Thunder punched him in the face again.

"We are never going to get along, are we?" Jupiter grumbled, rubbing his bruised cheek.

"Never," Thunder snarled, pulling Argent close to him.

"Wait, blue boy," Argent urged, detangling herself from him and stood over Jupiter. "What do you have to say to me?"

Jupiter found Argent's hand in front of his face, blankly gazing at it. There was a chance of redemption in her scarlet eyes, a slight hope of her forgiving him for forcing to perform the bombing. Taking her hand, she dragged him to his feet, and he bowed his head sorrowfully, murmuring his apology. There was a moment of silence as Jupiter raised his head to see her reaction. It was not what he expected in the least.

"That's it? A measly 'sorry'? Are you kidding me? You made me kill over a thousand people! Innocent people! Children, Jupiter, that had nothing to do with it!" Argent snapped, pushing him backwards onto the floor. "All you've got for me is a 'sorry'? I figured that maybe you could have changed, but no! Looks like I was wrong again!"

"My father was trying to protect you!" Omen defended, stepping in front of them.

"What he has done only harmed Argent! How is that of any protection?" Thunder shouted, coming to Argent's aid.

"She's right, Lilith," Jupiter murmured, adjusting his glasses.

"Father…" Omen trailed off as Jupiter stood, sighing.

"You're right. All I have done caused you misery. I should have been the one to drop that bomb, not just pin everything on you. It was my fault that those people perished, not your's at all." Jupiter suddenly dropped to his knees, hand poised in front of him and shuddered, almost like he was about to cry. "I am so sorry. Please, you do not have to forgive me, but I just want you to know how sorry I am."

Argent crossed her arms, exchanging a look with Thunder before smirking. Kneeling down in front of Jupiter, she extended her fingers and smirked. "C'mon, old man. Don't be so depressed. Now, you actually sound sorry. Let's let bygones be bygones."

"Wait, you…you forgive me?" Jupiter stammered, taking her hand and gaped. When she nodded with Thunder reluctantly smiling, he felt a tentative grin spread across his face. "Thank you, Antonia. Your forgiveness is truly gracious."

_Slap!_

Alfonsa retracted her hand, glaring at Jupiter who spiraled back to the floor. The Italian woman, filled with rage, snatched Jupiter and repeatedly smashed his head against the floor. She punched him across the nose, practically breaking every bone in his face until Thunder and Red Star dragged her off. Alfonsa cursed like a sailor, screaming haughtily until the Russian covered her mouth. Cara chomped down onto his hand, making him yelp and wave his hand, accidentally setting her free.

"You pompous, arrogant, just-like-my-ex-husband, son of a-!" Cara cut herself off, punching Jupiter in the face and grasped her daughter by the arm. "Come on, Toni, we're going home! Take your boyfriend and friends, and get us to the ship! Let's go, Cara!"

"Uh, what about me?" Kid Flash asked, raising his hand and pointed to his foot.

"Don't worry, I'll help you out, Wally," Wonder Girl offered, picking him up in one arm and his wheelchair in the other.

"Aw, thanks, Donna," Kid Flash replied.

Jinx raised an eyebrow, stepping over to the Amazon princess and tapped her shoulder. "Excuse me, but how do you know Kid Flash's first name?"

"Oh, we grew up together. Since Kid Flash was trained under the Flash, and me under Wonder Woman, we just kinda got to know each other," Wonder Girl informed.

"Do I detect jealousy, Jinx?" Kid Flash sneered.

Jinx punched his broken ankle, and a painful shriek ripped from Kid Flash's throat. "Whatever! Like I'd be envious over you!"

"That's jealousy, all right," The Herald muttered to Jericho who nodded in response.

"Did you two say something?" Jinx roared, charging up her hands, and the two shook their heads rapidly. "That's what I thought."

"So, Kole, I will pick you up tomorrow, yes?" Lightning questioned, and she nodded.

"Still, never gonna 'prove," Gnarrk hissed, crossing his arms.

"Aw, come on, Gnarrk!" Kole whined.

"Nope," he growled, glaring over to Lightning.

Cara gasped suddenly, covering her mouth and cried, "Wait, Loren, what of that woman I battled? Queen Miraset?"

Jupiter's eyes widened in horror, turning to his team of Titans and the other H'san Natall hybrids in shock. Fringe, Risk, and Hot Spot dived down towards the medical wing. He tapped his foot impatiently, biting his nails nervously and faced his daughter, asking if she could see what had happened to Miraset. However, as much as she tried, Omen could not as she could only see the future, not the present.

"Prysm's gone!" Hot Spot barked, returning.

"But how could anyone break in here? Red Star designed the security, and he has the biggest, awesomest defense system the made Cyborg drool!" Herald snapped.

"But it is only Miraset," Argent stated. "How could she be of any threat?"

"Believe me, Miraset is a bad chick," Risk explained, crossing his arms. "Remember when she nearly zapped me with that death ray?"

"Oh, yeah," Argent muttered, looking away sheepishly.

"Well, it is only Prysm and Miraset," Hot Spot replied, shrugging. "What harm can they do?"

"Dude, you just jinxed us. Thanks a freaking lot," Kid Flash snapped, rolling his eyes as the members of Titans South, Cara, and Alfonsa stormed up the stairs.

While the members of Titans South readjusted themselves into Jupiter's plane, Thunder and Lightning glanced up to the sky, finding an unfamiliar presence. However, they found nothing disconcerting with the clouds, so they passively boarded. The brothers smiled at each other, linking their arms through each other and sat together. Lightning leaned into his twin, sighing happily, and, for once, he was happy the mission was over. The horrible memory of his brother's savagery would never return, knowing his brother would always love him in a special way that no one else could comprehend. Thunder sighed, rubbing his brother's back comfortingly as Lightning chuckled.

"Tired?" Thunder asked.

"Somewhat," Lightning replied softly. "I believe our battle only proves that Lightning is better warrior."

Thunder gently chuckled sarcastically, pulling Lightning close to his chest. "Please, brother, we both know who the better fighter is. Besides, I was under the influence of a madman, meaning my skills were not at the top of my prowess."

They laughed, holding onto each other and fell asleep. For the moment, there was peace, lasting in their still darkness of sleep. The brothers had each other and ones that loved them, people who truly cared and loved them. With King Ch'ah finally defeated, they were reunited with absolute love in their bond. Nothing would ever separate them again, swearing it in their hearts as they dreamed.

…

"Mother?" Prysm whispered, awakening to find Queen Miraset, looming over her.

"Hello, sweetie," her mother replied soothingly and pressed down against her forehead, smiling.

"W-where am I?' she wondered, trying to sit up, but the pain in her side, resulted in her falling back down.

"We're going home, darling, but don't worry, I'll be sure to make everything right. This time…" She pulled out a communicator and with an engraved 'S'. "…I have help."

…

Yeah, the last chapter! Yay! Thank you for reading, and please leave a review!

For the sequel, it will be called Brothers and feature Titans South and North, but will concentrate mostly on Thunder and Lightning, obviously.


End file.
